HIPAA eCommerce

HIPAA Compliance Management: How To Make It Easy

Published February 13, 2023  |  5 min read

HIPAA is a big deal. If you are in possession of electronic protected health information of any sort, you need to take proper measures to ensure that it's kept secure. Security incidents involving data breaches could result in government fines and loss of your good reputation in the community.

The good thing is that it's not something you have to be scared of so long as you partner with someone familiar with HIPAA compliance management. In fact, you may be partnering with multiple business associates in order to remain fully HIPAA compliant. (Learn more about the definition of a business associate.) Here's how to deal with risk management associated with HIPAA rules.

Hipaa compliance software engineer.
Key Takeaways
  • HIPAA, the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996, requires healthcare professionals—called covered entities, or CEs—that store or transmit electronic protected health information (ePHI) to take specific steps to protect such data.
  • Following HIPAA rules can be intense, but the process can be made much easier if you partner with an experienced developer that can secure your HIPAA website and apps.
  • If you are legally required to follow HIPAA rules, you can mitigate some risk by sharing responsibility with those providing HIPAA compliance software or storing the information on servers. This arrangement is called a BAA.
  • Risk assessment is an important part of compliance management, so make sure to work with a HIPAA compliance software vendor who can get you the level of security you need...without overpaying.
Hipaa compliance management professionals.

The Four Rules of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act

We all strive for HIPAA compliance, and the actual law is hundreds of pages long. That's why it's so important to team with business associates that understand the law more thoroughly when they do risk analysis.

In simplest terms, the four rules of HIPAA are:

HIPAA Privacy Rule

Sets standards for the use and disclosure of protected health information (PHI).

HIPAA Security Rule

Sets security standards for electronic PHI.

HIPAA Enforcement Rule

Establishes rules and procedures for enforcement of HIPAA compliance.

HIPAA Breach Notification Rule

Requires covered entities to notify individuals, HHS, and in some cases, the media, following a breach of unsecured PHI.

Staff receiving hipaa training.

Assessing Suitable HIPAA Compliance Software Vendors

When evaluating a potential software vendor for HIPAA compliance, there are several factors that healthcare organizations should take into consideration.

HIPAA Knowledge

The vendor should have a comprehensive understanding of HIPAA's Security, Privacy, Enforcement, and Breach Notification Rules. They should also have experience in providing technical solutions to address those rules.

Risk Analysis

HIPAA compliance software vendors should be able to provide you with a list of your risk areas specific to your business. This risk analysis will help you reduce risks without breaking the bank.

Compliance Beyond Launch

The vendor should demonstrate a commitment to ongoing compliance practices, such as regular reviews and audits. The vendor should also provide clear documentation of their operations and policies, as well as their processes for addressing any non-compliance issues that arise.

A Plan For a Breach

If you choose the best HIPAA compliance software provider, the chances of a data breach are slim. But because hackers are always improving the means of attacking covered entities like your company, the chance does exist. Your BAA partner should have a plan in place to patch problems 24/7 and then relay information about it to the Office for Civil Rights in accordance with the fourth rule mentioned above.

HIPAA Training Courses

Some partners will have training courses included with their HIPAA software, which is an excellent way to prevent human error regarding data access.

Regulatory standards training.

Business Associate Agreements (BAA)

Few covered entities go it alone and handle every aspect of HIPAA compliance. Protecting data is often a team effort between hospital staff and outside companies providing HIPAA compliance software. But could farming out some of your security to an outside company lead to additional security problems? That's where compliance management comes in.

What is a BAA?

What are business associates agreements? A Business Associate Agreement (BAA) is an agreement between a covered entity and a business associate that details how the business associate must protect the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of PHI held by the covered entity. The BAA also details how the business associate may use and disclose PHI on behalf of the covered entity.

Who Signs a BAA?

BAAs can be signed with those who provide HIPAA compliance software, Cloud servers, or platforms that deal with HIPAA-compliant data. So long as you choose a HIPAA compliance management software provider that has a good record of protection, your chances of data breaches are slim.

Working with Clarity

You want the best HIPAA compliance software available, but you also have to consider your budget. If you're looking for a way to find the best business associates for your plans to become HIPAA-compliant, talk to us. We can point you in the right direction to get a free risk analysis.

Clarity practices what we preach when we work with healthcare professionals who are looking for HIPAA-compliant websites and apps. We are always referring to the results of a risk assessment to ensure protection, and we can become part of your compliance management team. Get in touch with us for a free Discovery process, where we'll help you create a plan to help you demonstrate compliance if you're asked to.

 

Work with HIPAA Experts

Click the button below to get your free discovery session. We're happy to talk to you, so don't hesitate to get this benefit for your business.

Hipaa development.

FAQ

 

HIPAA compliance refers to the process of ensuring that an organization is operating within the guidelines set out by Health and Human Services (HHS). Organizations must adhere to HIPAA's Privacy Rule and Security Rule in order to remain compliant. This includes setting procedures for how protected health information (PHI) can be used, stored, and shared; conducting regular risk assessments; providing employees with training on HIPAA rules; establishing physical, technical, and administrative safeguards; keeping audit logs; and ensuring third-party contractors comply with HIPAA law.

 

HIPAA compliance management is the process of ensuring that an organization meets all of the requirements of HIPAA, including all HIPAA rules. This includes policies and procedures such as creating policies and procedures to ensure that health information is kept secure, conducting regular assessments to ensure ongoing compliance and providing training to staff on how they should handle client information. HIPAA compliance management also includes developing systems and processes for monitoring any potential security breaches or non-compliance issues.

 

The four rules of HIPAA are:

  1. The HIPAA Privacy Rule: This rule sets the standard for how PHI can be used and disclosed. It also outlines the rights individuals have when accessing and controlling their health data.
  2. The HIPAA Security Rule: This rule establishes national standards for ensuring the security of electronically-transmitted PHI.
  3. The HIPAA Breach Notification Rule: This rule requires covered entities to notify affected individuals, the media, and the federal government of any breach or unauthorized disclosure of PHI.
  4. The HIPAA Enforcement Rule: This rule outlines how HHS will investigate complaints and enforce the privacy, security, breach notification, and Covered Entity provisions of HIPAA.
 

Ensuring HIPAA compliance is an important task for any organization that handles PHI (Protected Health Information). An organization required to take on these compliance efforts is called a covered entity, or CE.

Here are some ways organizations can ensure they remain compliant with HIPAA:

  1. Create a comprehensive privacy and security program with business associates that follow necessary compliance programs.
  2. Create a compliance management plan to make sure all staff members are trained on HIPAA policies and procedures.
  3. Ensure all third-party contractors also comply with HIPAA regulations with strict business associate management procedures.
  4. Regularly review audit logs to monitor user access to PHI data.
  5. Establish physical, technical, and administrative safeguards to protect PHI from unauthorized access, use, or disclosure.
  6. Use encryption technology when storing or transmitting protected data over the internet or other networks.
  7. Create incident response plans in case of a breach or violation of HIPAA regulations.
 

Individually Identifiable Health Information (IIHI) is any information, including demographic data, that relates to the past, present, or future physical or mental health of an individual; the provision of health care to an individual; or the past, present, or future payment for the provision of health care to an individual. IIHI includes many common identifiers (e.g., name, address, birth date, Social Security Number).

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Author
 
Stephen Beer is a Content Writer at Clarity Ventures and has written about various tech industries for nearly a decade. He is determined to demystify HIPAA, integration, and eCommerce with easy-to-read, easy-to-understand articles to help businesses make the best decisions.