  The COVID-19 pandemic has significantly transformed the healthcare sector,
with telehealth services being among the most prominent changes. The adoption
of telehealth services, however, has raised new challenges, particularly in the
areas of security and privacy. To better comprehend the telehealth needs and
concerns of medical professionals, particularly those in private practice, we
conducted a study comprised of 20 semi-structured interviews with telehealth
practitioners in audiology and speech therapy. Our findings indicate that
private telehealth practitioners encounter difficult choices when it comes to
balancing security, privacy, usability, and accessibility, particularly while
caring for vulnerable populations. Additionally, the study revealed that
practitioners face challenges in ensuring HIPAA compliance due to inadequate
resources and a lack of technological comprehension. Policymakers and
healthcare providers should take proactive measures to address these
challenges, including offering resources and training to ensure HIPAA
compliance and enhancing technology infrastructure to support secure and
accessible telehealth.
