The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) has been in place since 1996 and, under Title II, presents the standard for securing protected health information (PHI) and other security measures.
While other Titles in HIPAA deal with issues such as insurance coverage, taxes, and group and company plans, Title II concerns the security of PHI and the nation-wide requirement of meeting compliance standards, such as those under the Privacy and Security Rules.
According to the Department of Health & Human Services, those who are legally required to meet HIPAA compliance include covered entities and their business associates. The aforementioned include, but are not limited to, health insurance companies, doctors, hospitals, and health data processors.
As health records became digitized and providers used online systems or applications to increase efficiency, almost all PHI required (in almost all cases) brand-new privacy and security mechanisms. First, the Privacy Rule created the standards which all applicable entities have to follow.
The main goal of the Privacy Rule is to protect PHI and all patient data at the national level. In order to protect said data, the Security Rule outlines the mechanisms, technical and physical safeguards, and administrative regulations that must be in place for compliance.
Meeting HIPAA compliance standards can look different for each entity, but, in general, the regulations focus on maintaining the confidentiality and integrity of PHI, protecting against threats to said maintenance, ensuring compliance by all involved, and working to pre-empt compliance violations.
Don't Let HIPAA Compliance Slow You Down:
HIPAA violations and failure to comply can result in complaints and potential penalties – civil and/or criminal. The repercussions are severe. If a complaint results in an investigation, the fines can range from hundreds to millions of dollars. A violation that results in criminal penalties will require not only fines, but also prison time. Therefore, it is imperative that covered entities and business associates are aware of all HIPAA regulations and take all the steps necessary to meet compliance.
As HIPAA regulations can change and each entity has a different structure, it is important that the entity adopts procedures and policies that are best suited to its context. At CDG, we provide our clients with expert, tailored advice and ensure each client remains HIPAA compliant at all times. The above is a summary of HIPAA compliance and is not legal counsel and, therefore, we encourage you to reach out to us at CDG for more information.
Cyber Defense Group specializes in Incident Response and Security Engineering, enabling agile businesses to operate at speed. We protect our clients from cyber criminals, and we create robust security programs which can withstand current and future threats.
ISO27001 is an international standard for information security, published by the International Organization for Standardization. Organizations that meet ISO27001 criteria can be certified against the standard to demonstrate their ongoing commitment to data protection and information security.
SOC2 was developed by the AICPA for managing customer data based on “trust service principles”. SOC2 is primarily used for companies operating within the United States.
CMMC is a standard for organizations in the United States which work with the Department of Defense (DoD). The CMMC covers the cybersecurity controls for Confidential Unclassified Information (CUI).
In order to prevent mass variance, the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) – a non-regulatory part of the Department of Commerce – constructed a set of standards for all federal agencies to follow: the NIST Special Publication 800-53.
The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act is a US law enacted in1996 which governs the data protection and privacy of health records.
The European General Data Protection Regulation is a data protection and privacy regulation for EU citizens. Any company operating within the EU borders must conform to this regulation.
The California Consumer Protection Act is a California data protection and privacy law for residents of California. Most companies which hold information on California residents are subject to this regulation.
The CIS 20 is a list of 20 actions and practices an organization’s security team can take on such that cyberattacks, or threats, are minimized and prevented.
We protect our clients from cyber criminals, and we create robust security programs which can withstand current and future threats.
We mobilize and launch a complete investigation of any suspected incident within 24 hours.
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