HIPAA Compliance
The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act or HIPAA, is a compliance standard that is designed to protect sensitive patient data. Any organization that deals with protected health information (PHI) is obligated to maintain and follow process, network and physical security measures in order to be HIPAA-compliant. TOTAL NETWORK SOLUTIONS can help accelerate your healthcare business becoming HIPAA compliant in a cost-effective way.
WHAT IS HIPAA? HIPAA, or the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, establishes a set of regulatory standards governing the proper utilization and disclosure of sensitive patient data. Oversight of HIPAA is carried out by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), with enforcement entrusted to the Office for Civil Rights (OCR).
The primary objective of HIPAA is to safeguard the privacy, security, and integrity of Protected Health Information (PHI), which encompasses any demographic data that could be used to identify a patient or client.
WHO MUST ADHERE TO HIPAA? HIPAA regulations are applicable to any entity involved in the electronic creation, collection, or transmission of PHI. Furthermore, organizations dealing with or encountering such transmitted information fall under the purview of HIPAA compliance. The regulation categorizes two types of entities that must comply:
COVERED ENTITIES This category encompasses health care providers, health care clearinghouses, health insurance providers, and similar entities.
BUSINESS ASSOCIATES The term "business associates" has broad applicability, encompassing service providers engaged in handling, transmitting, or processing PHI. Examples include billing companies, Electronic Health Record (EHR) platforms, cloud storage providers, email hosting services, third-party consultants, and others.
Challenges Associated with HIPAA Compliance:
HIPAA violations attract hefty penalties.
Adequate training for handling PHI and dealing with malicious security attacks is critical.
It is imperative to have a Security Incident Response Plan (SIRP) in place to deal with a security event.
Professional assistance is required to handle the complexity of audits and to maintain the right documentation.
