HIPAA Compliance Checklist
What Is HIPAA Compliance?
The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, commonly called HIPAA, is a regulatory requirement issued by the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) that sets national standards for protecting sensitive patient health information. Companies dealing with protected health information (PHI) must have comprehensive security measures in place to prevent data breaches and HIPAA violations. Covered entities and their business associates are the two main groups of organizations that need to remain HIPPA compliant.
Covered entities are defined as follows:
- Healthcare providers: Hospitals, doctors, clinics, psychologists, pharmacies, dentists, etc.
- Health plans: Health insurance companies, HMOs, company health plans, Medicare, Medicaid, employers, and schools.
- Healthcare clearinghouses: Any organization that processes and standardizes health information.
Business associates are defined by the DHHS as any “entity that performs certain functions or activities that involve the use or disclosure of protected health information on behalf of, or provides services to, a covered entity.”
HIPAA regulations are broken into two main categories, the HIPAA Privacy and Security Rules.
HIPAA Privacy Rule
The HIPAA Privacy Rule protects all individually identifiable health information held or transmitted by covered entities and their business associates. Whether this information is held or transmitted via electronic, paper, or oral measures, the Privacy Rule states that there must be physical, technical, and administrative safeguards to protect PHI. For example, to remain HIPAA compliant, covered entities and their associates must have strong, secure cybersecurity measures in place to protect from cyberattacks, ransomware, and other online threats. In addition, these organizations must implement access control measures to eliminate the possibility of unauthorized users gaining access to PHI.
HIPAA Security Rule
The HIPAA Security Rule is similar to the Privacy Rule in that it requires covered entities to implement comprehensive safeguards to protect PHI that is created, received, used, or maintained. However, the Security Rule relates specifically to maintaining security for electronic PHI, or e-PHI.
No Matter Your Compliance Requirements, TRT Is Here to Help
Cybersecurity and compliance are paramount to the success of your organization. Technology Response Team is certified in a variety of compliance requirements across various industries, such as CMMC 2.0, NIST, PCI-DSS, and ISO 27001.
Dangers of Not Abiding By HIPAA Compliance Requirements
Violating HIPAA compliance requirements isn’t a joke. It can have real-world effects on your organization. Not only do HIPAA violations tarnish your relationship with clients and impact your public reputation, but they can cause financial turmoil. Depending on the severity of their infractions, organizations may be subject to fines of up to $50,000 per violation and annual penalties of $1.5 million.
In addition, some severe HIPAA violations may lead to criminal charges and jail time. The DHHS’s Office for Civil Rights (OCR) may choose to involve the Department of Justice (DOJ) if:
- Someone willingly obtains or reveals PHI.
- Someone obtains PHI through deceit.
- Someone obtains PHI to use for personal gain or to cause harm.
Meet HIPAA IT Requirements With an Audit from TRT
If you’re unsure how to maintain HIPAA compliance, don’t worry. Technology Response Team performs in-depth audits using a comprehensive HIPAA compliance checklist to ensure that your business has the proper safeguards in place. During these audits, Technology Response Team performs a deep dive into your cybersecurity protocol, looking for gaps in your endpoint, identity, and network security.
Using information from HIPAA compliance checklist audits, Technology Response Team provides consulting, risk management, and plans for remediation. With this assistance, you can be sure your client’s PHI and e-PHI are kept safe, secure, and out of the wrong hands.
Schedule a Consultation Today and Find Your Compliance Solution
Technology Response Team helps use its HIPAA compliance checklist and audits to ensure businesses have the proper safeguards in place and provide peace of mind. Schedule a consultation today and find out how you can maintain HIPAA compliance.
