Digital Health in the Metaverse: Navigating the Interplay Between Healthcare Delivery and Healthcare Laws

McDonald Hopkins' Rick Hindmand will be presenting as part of a panel for this virtual event presented by Strafford.

The metaverse is shared interactive and collaborative (e.g., virtual 3D and augmented reality) worlds where people can work and play. Like many other industries, healthcare has begun to expand its metaverse presence as the metaverse grows. Potential healthcare applications include diagnosis and treatment (e.g., virtual health clinics and digital therapeutics), drug interaction evaluation, ongoing patient management, and more.

Among the issues that players in the digital health metaverse need to consider is compliance with healthcare laws and regulations. Healthcare services and products tend to be heavily regulated. Data privacy and security requirements (e.g. HIPAA) are of concern in the metaverse as they are in the real world. Stark Law, Anti-Kickback Statute, and the False Claims Act should also be considered when providing healthcare services in the metaverse.

Listen as our authoritative panel of healthcare attorneys discusses digital health issues in the metaverse. The panel will discuss regulatory regimes that apply to metaverse digital health services and products, data privacy and security, interoperability, and fraud and abuse issues. The panel will address issues from diagnosing to treating and ongoing patient management. The panel will discuss what steps counsel can take to mitigate those risks.