The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services issued a public health emergency in Puerto Rico, Florida, Georgia, South Carolina and North Carolina retroactive to Sept. 1 due to Hurricane Dorian, the HIPAA Journal reports. HHS also issued a limited waiver of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act that only applies to the areas covered by the PHE and is applicable to hospitals that have implemented disaster protocol. The waiver is valid for 72 hours after the protocol has been activated, and during this time period, HHS will waive certain HIPAA sanctions and penalties. All hospitals are required to comply with the HIPAA Privacy Rule once the PHE has been lifted.
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