The words “HIPAA compliance” can often be accompanied by confusion and a feeling of dread. What does it entail? How do you know if your practice is compliant? How is HIPAA connected to cybersecurity?
Investing in healthcare IT consulting is a simple way to help you find answers to these questions and understand what HIPAA compliance and cybersecurity mean for your organization. Let’s take a look.
What Is HIPAA?
The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) is a federal law designed to safeguard sensitive patient health information from unauthorized access, use, or disclosure. It also ensures that healthcare information is always accessible to the patient and their providers so they can receive the proper care.
This includes cybersecurity regulations that all healthcare entities must follow in order to manage and protect electronic health records properly so that patients stay safe and their information stays confidential.
Healthcare IT Consulting & Security
One of the most important aspects of HIPAA and healthcare IT is security. Knowing how to properly protect records and implement a comprehensive cybersecurity web, including backups, is key to providing quality care and keeping your business afloat. Here’s a more detailed breakdown of why this thorough protection matters:
- Patient Privacy: Healthcare, financial, and other personally identifiable information is highly sensitive and highly sought after by cyber criminals. Careful cybersecurity measures are crucial in order to keep these records safe and avoid breaches.
- Patient Care: Records and systems need to be available to patients and healthcare personnel so they can provide the proper care. Strong security also minimizes dangerous downtime when it is difficult or impossible to care for patients.
- Financial Risk: From ransomware payouts and recovery costs to non-compliance fines and penalties, improper security can be incredibly expensive.
- Reputation: Security Magazine reports that over 66% of people wouldn’t trust a company or want to do business with them after they experienced a data breach. Reputational blows like these can be difficult to recover from, leaving you with few resources to continue care.
Healthcare IT Consulting & Compliance
Cybersecurity is only one layer of protecting your client’s data. Compliance regulations like HIPAA require healthcare facilities to follow specific guidelines for administering their cybersecurity and safeguarding information.
This means that it’s not just up to you to determine the best way to protect patient data—you have to meet certain specifications, document your efforts, and be prepared to pass audits and demonstrate your compliance with HIPAA and other guidelines. Luckily, a professional IT consultant who specializes in healthcare and HIPAA can help you simplify this process.
Their understanding of HIPAA and technical terms will help you stay on top of the details and updates of regulations. These skills also allow them to personalize your cybersecurity and ensure that your infrastructure aligns with your operations and HIPAA rules. Many IT companies also offer employee training, where they teach your team how to stay compliant.
AIS: Helping You Protect Your Patients
HIPAA compliance and cybersecurity don’t have to be a mystery or a challenge. With AIS’s healthcare IT consulting, you can confidently navigate compliance, stay on top of regulations, protect patient data, and continue providing expert care to those you serve. Send us a message to talk to a compliance specialist and see what AIS can do for you.