When HHS relaxed HIPAA penalties against hospitals and health systems, the department also granted providers the opportunity to communicate with patients and provide telehealth services through nonpublic-facing remote communication services.

Williamson (W.Va.) Memorial Hospital will close by the end of April, according to TV station WOWK, which cited an announcement from hospital officials. 

Johnson & Johnson and the U.S. government will invest $1 billion to co-fund the development of a vaccine for COVID-19, Johnson & Johnson announced March 30. 

The U.S. COVID-19 case count is the highest in the world, with 165,874 cases as of 11:30 a.m. CDT March 31. Nationwide, 3,178 Americans have died from the virus, while 5,995 have recovered. 

On March 30, CMS unveiled several broad but temporary changes that provide new flexibilities for hospitals, physicians and other healthcare organizations during the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Robert Femia, MD, chair of the department of emergency medicine, advised NYU Langone's emergency department physicians they have "sole discretion" to put patients on ventilators and the system’s backing to "withhold futile intubations," according to a March 28 email reviewed by the Wall Street Journal.

Salt Lake City-based Intermountain Healthcare is implementing pay reductions for some physicians, nurse practitioners and physician assistants, reports The Salt Lake Tribune.

The CEO of Boston-based Beth Israel Lahey Health and more than two dozen other executives will take pay cuts to offset some of the financial losses Massachusetts' second-largest health system is facing due to COVID-19, according to a March 30 report from The Boston Globe. 

The CEO of Jackson Health System tested positive for COVID-19, according to a March 30 statement shared by the Miami-based health system on Twitter.

Many U.S. hospitals and health systems have suspended elective procedures to save capacity, supplies and staff to treat COVID-19 patients. 

Fayetteville, N.C.-based Cape Fear Valley Health has temporarily closed some services and furloughed about 300 employees to help reduce the spread of COVID-19, according to The Fayetteville Observer.

Legislators, administration officials and others are already working on another stimulus package to combat the economic impact of COVID-19, just days after President Donald Trump signed a $2 trillion emergency spending bill into law, according to The Wall Street Journal.

A physician at Farmington-based UConn Health was arrested March 26 after allegedly coughing on and hugging nurses, according to the Hartford Courant, which cited a police report.

When it comes to collecting and managing COVID-19 patient data, Beaumont Health relies on its EHR as its "only source of truth," according to CIO Hans Keil.

The World Health Organization has published a guidebook to help countries maintain essential health services while responding to the COVID-19 pandemic, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, PhD, said March 30.

A rapidly increasing number of COVID-19 cases has affected various aspects of the healthcare industry, from hospitals canceling elective procedures to shaking up plans for EHR go-lives and optimizations.

National Nurses United said it has filed more than 125 complaints with Occupational Safety and Health Administration offices in 16 states accusing individual hospitals of not providing safe workplaces.

Early research shows that some drugs may help combat COVID-19, but more research must be done, World Health Organization officials said, according to CNBC.

In response to concerns that patients may avoid seeking medical care related to the novel coronavirus due to costs, several health systems in the U.S. announced plans to suspend bills for the testing and treatment of COVID-19.

Chattanooga, Tenn.-based Erlanger Health system said it is implementing a cost-reduction plan that includes furloughs and pay reductions for leadership prompted by the coronavirus pandemic.