Here is some news about an important new resource for mobile app developers working in the healthcare space. To help healthcare app developers assess which laws and regulations apply to their apps, the FTC, the Office of Civil Rights, and three federal healthcare agencies have teamed up on a new, easy-to-use, web-based tool. Now, by answering 10 yes-or-no questions, a developer can quickly determine important information - such as whether the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) or the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic (FD&C) Act apply.

This tool was created because while mobile health related products are on the rise, compliance with health-related laws and regulations continue to be difficult to navigate. For example, the question of whether a health care vendor is a "business associate" under HIPAA, requiring it to implement stringent privacy and data security safeguards, is far from straightforward. And the question of whether the FDA considers your app to pose "minimal risk" (obviating the need to comply with the FD&C Act) is often difficult to discern. The new tool helps take some of the guess-work out of these and other important threshold questions.

Although the tool does not eliminate the need for legal advice, it may help streamline the first steps in your analysis.

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