Healthcare Data Security

The need for having a robust HIPAA compliance strategy is at an all-time high! Endorsed in 1996, the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) is a federal law designed to prevent disclosure of sensitive patient health information without patients’ consent. In essence, healthcare systems when handling critical healthcare data possession or exchange needs to ensure that they are HIPAA compliant.

Why HIPAA Compliance?

1 Promotes a healthy and secure culture of compliance across the organization	2 Ensures highest standards of patient data privacy and security	3 Fosters meticulous handling of patient data to improve patient experience	4 Mitigates the impact of executive and organizational liability
5 Protects the healthcare organization and staff from personal liability	6 Ensures highest standards of patient data privacy and security	7 Helps build a strong foundation for future technology and innovations	8 Prevents expensive add-on security measures and controls operational costs

Cloud Strategy and Hosting for HIPAA Compliance

HIPAA-compliant cloud hosting has been a major challenge amongst healthcare systems. However, it is essential that organizations consider the infinite possibilities of cloud strategies for HIPAA compliance in order to secure IT systems and deliver critical systems in a frictionless manner.

Top HIPAA-complaint Cloud Feature Considerations

Firewall and Intrusion Prevention System	Fully encrypted Virtual Private Network	Robust Log Management
Backups and Data Recovery	High Availability & Reliability	Third-Party HIPAA/HITECH Audition

14-Point Checklist for HIPAA-compliant Cloud Hosting

Healthcare organizations need to adopt the right strategies and solutions to successfully manage HIPAA-compliant cloud hosting. This involves the following steps:

• 1. Get all the critical components in place including data security, data management, and training procedures
• 2. Design a robust framework for developing individual user IDs, passwords and different modes for login, logout, decryption and other emergencies
• 3. Develop solid strategies to manage access to E-Systems that contain patient data
• 4. Create well-defined rules to save, transfer, trash and implement crucial healthcare data
• 5. Have a well-orchestrated structure to audit and log system usage for SSAE 18 and SOC audited infrastructure
• 6. Create customized guidelines for hosted data transfer that captures every scenario, Including cloud, email, etc.
• 7. Design a smart quality control policy framework for all forms of hosted data
• 8. Ensure that you create a robust verification process to consider the availability of dynamic data
• 9. Plan a structured maintenance mechanism for servers hosting web, database, and production
• 10. Ensure that you integrate an advanced anti-virus and multifactor authentication process
• 11. Have a well-defined Operating System (OS) patching management process in place
• 12. Consider the evaluation of private IP addresses and private hosted environment at all times
• 13. It is also essential that you build a solid disaster recovery and backup strategy
• 14. Finally, ensure that you Implement an encrypted VPN and private firewall

Disaster Recovery Plan

While it is important that you formulate a robust HIPAA-compliant cloud hosting system, organizations also need to have an advanced disaster management plan in place. This will help minimize interruptions to normal operations, mitigate the effects of disruption and damage, minimize the economic impact of the interruption, establish alternative means of operation in advance, train personnel with emergency procedures and provide smooth and rapid restoration of service. Below are some of the must-have components that healthcare systems need to consider in strategizing a HIPAA disaster recovery plan.

• 1. Prepare an inventory of all physical and digital assets. Create a list of all hardware, software, data, and security certificates. Also, maintain a list of cybersecurity applications, certificates, extensions, and other cyber protection protocols that need to be followed. Break down the data into separate lists such as tangible vs intangible assets in order to create a unified structure.
• 2. Create a data backup strategy and also perform data recovery tests Create a backup of your data and do a thorough test to ensure that the data restoration techniques work fine. Test your data backups regularly to ensure that they are in good condition and are fully reliable.
• 3. Design a holistic communications plan. Device a strong communications plan that will include various methods of communication through multiple channels. Create preventive measures for your data network by harnessing the capabilities of network path diversity or using ad hoc networks.

To learn more about building robust HIPAA compliant patient health information systems, talk to our team