Most healthcare companies only care about HIPAA Compliance for securing their data. However, it is not sufficient. If you really want to secure your patient’s data, then you must follow HITRUST Compliance. In this article, we are going to discuss both HIPAA and HITRUST Compliance.
Definition of HITRUST:
Many companies think that the HITRUST is only a framework for achieving HIPAA compliance. However, it is more powerful than that. The CSF is a special framework that you can use for working with other compliance frameworks.
Most hospitals think that it is a burden for them to follow security compliances. HITRUST is the main pillar of health information exchanges and systems. The technology is becoming more important in the healthcare sector. Thus, data protection is becoming more important. HITRUST will help you in meeting the current security regulations.
The HITRUST is actually a not-for-profit organization. Their main mission is to protect and manage information risk. They are helping thousands of businesses in protecting their data. HITRUST is also working on developing and maintaining compliance frameworks. These frameworks will help you in assuring that you are following the compliances. Also, you can use them for advanced cyber analysis, sharing, and resilience.
What is the HITRUST Certification?
The unique think about HITRUST Is that they are providing certificates. In the past, all you need to do was sign the agreements. This was enough for making you HIPAA compliant. These forms ensured that you are using the right security measures for protecting your data.
There was no way to judge or confirm these forms. Companies were just making a promise to the HIPAA lawmakers. However, hospitals started conducting a HITRUST assessment of their security measures. Some hospitals are also hiring HITRUST assessor. This was to make sure that they are following the HIPAA rules and compliance. Many healthcare companies are using it for proving that they are following security regulations. If you are working in the healthcare sector, then you can also become HITRUST certified.
How can you get a certificate?
HITRUST compliance is a collection of various different compliances. You need to comply with FTC, HIPAA and other regulations. HITRUST is also providing you guidelines for doing self-assessment. You should first perform a self-audit of your security gaps.
HITRUST is also providing a special self-assessment tool. You can use this tool for checking your policies. If there is any security gap, then you can fix it before the final assessment. You can make changes in your security regulations before the real assessor. If you don’t have time, then you can also hire a CSF assessor. They will assess your security regulations.
The HITRUST is currently dealing with more than 19 domains. Thus, it covers most of the industries. If you are meeting most of the HITRUST requirements, then you will get a certificate. These certificates have a validity of two years. After that, you need to apply again. You need to again go through the validation and assessment process. If you are still following most of the rules, then you will again get certified.
Many companies think that this is a burden. However, security regulations and technology are changing with time. Thus, it is important to update your certificate after some time. This certificate will also ensure that you are compliant for at least two years.
HIPAA vs HITRUST Requirements
HIPAA is a special law that is used for protecting medical records. It gives privacy rights to the patients.
It is difficult to ensure that you are HIPAA compliant. Some healthcare companies think that they are HIPAA compliant. But, most of them are not following all the regulations. Technology is becoming more important in the healthcare industry. Hence, security compliances are becoming stricter. This might look unnecessary to some companies. Maintaining compliance is always a difficult task for healthcare providers. Healthcare providers need to hire and train their staff for staying compliant. Thus, it is a burden for most of the providers.
Medical providers are looking for simplified healthcare privacy requirements. We are going to compare the requirements of both HITRUST and HIPAA.
HITRUST:
HITRUST is an independent entity that is responsible for maintaining control frameworks. These frameworks contain various different compliance rules. HITRUST is trying its best in unifying all regulatory compliance. Thus, all you need to is follow their practices for becoming compliant. You can easily adopt the correct compliant practices. Also, you can use the correct security controls for protecting your patient’s data.
HIPAA:
HIPAA is a set of regulations and standards. The main aim of these regulations is to protect the information of patients. These regulations will ensure that your organization data is protected from attackers. HIPAA regulations involve protecting PHI records. They will also ensure that only vendors and medical professionals can access PHI data.
How to Plan for Healthcare Security Threats?
If you are in the healthcare industry, then security breaches can be very costly for your company. However, these security breaches are becoming more common with time. It is important to use correct practices for protecting your data. Almost every healthcare company is following HIPAA compliance for protecting their data. However, it is still not sufficient. There are many hackers that want to steal patients’ data. Thus, it is important to have a good security framework. This framework will help you in protecting your data from attackers. You need to adopt security controls that will help you in protecting your data.
Conclusion
There are many benefits to getting a HITRUST certificate. HITRUST certificate will ensure that you are following all the necessary regulations and rules. This certificate is not a requirement for healthcare companies. However, it is the easiest way to ensure that you are following all the compliance laws. It is difficult to follow all the compliance regulations. If you are HITRUST certified, then it will help you in building trust with your patients. Your patients will know that you are protecting their data. If you want more information regarding HIPAA compliance, then you can contact Bleuwire.
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