As you know, the Public Health Emergency (PHE) ends on May 11, 2023. The Office of Civil Rights (OCR) exercised its discretionary powers to allow therapists to use telehealth platforms like Facetime and the free versions of Skype and Zoom that are not compatible with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA). Enforcement of penalties on providers for HIPAA noncompliance was scheduled to resume on May 11th, at the end of the PHE.
However, OCR is allowing a 90-day transition period to give providers time to comply with the HIPAA telehealth platform rule. This will enable therapists to comply on August 9, 2023, at 11:59 pm. But by August 9th, we all need to be using telehealth platforms that are HIPAA-compliant/secure and will sign a Business Associate Agreement (BAA).