The Simple and Effective HIPAA Security Compliance Handbook
Contents:
Also , on the one hand, i t provides the covered entities and business associates with the freedom in selecting and choosing the preferred authentication methods. And on the other hand, it leaves healthcare executives without specific guidance. So here are some tips from our developers that will help you during the Person or Entity Authentication implementation.
To implement password a uthentication you s hould ensure that the password entered by user meets the following guidelines: The above guidelines can be implemented on different levels of your system.
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For example, the validation process of whether the password meets the requirements can be implemented on the register screen. In addition, you can implement functionality that will control the password expiration. This logic will prevent users from logging in with an expired password and force them to change it.
In fact, w hen considering authentication solutions it i s important to weigh the criticality and sensitivity of the protected information. Using a simultaneous combination of authentication mechanisms called multifactor authentication can help you mitigate the risks of bypassing authentication controls.
A s an example of this approach can be the request of a fingerprint scan biometric with the further entering of a password. Although t his approach provides a high authentication level, at the same time you should care about t he accordance of the level of assurance with the associated financial and performance costs.
This policy applies to ePHI while the data is transmitted across the electronic communications network, wireless networks, from tier to tier within an application, across wired or wireless connections. It applies not only to the transactions adopted under HIPAA, but to all individual health information that is maintained or transmitted. Technology and solutions can vary from business to business, depending on the needs of an appropriate solution.
In fact, each page that collects or displays protected health information PHI , or which is used for user login, or which transmits authorization cookies, etc. For this purpose, the SFTP protocol can be used. Every place where the information is stored should be backuped and the copy of your data should be saved.
Of course, it helps if the data is encrypted in the backup. It is up to you to ensure that the hard drives containing ePHI are properly disposed of when you are no longer using them and determine how far you need to go to ensure data disposal in order to be HIPAA compliant.
The next point that is important for you, when you develop a system that should follow the HIPAA compliance, is to look over the backup services. As a developer or product owner, you should understand how your solution will benefit from backup services in case of a disaster. The reserved copy should be stored in a secure environment and according to the best practices, it should have several backups that are stored in different locations.
This approach helps to avoid data loss in case when something unpredictable happens with data in one physical location for example, earthquake or fire in a datacenter. If you consider this moment you will be able to restore data from other locations. Also, the copy should be readily retrievable if the hardware or electronic media is damaged. If you still hesitate here are some advantages of using a data backup service: What you need to remember is that most of the web hosts provide this service only for information that is stored on their servers.
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If your web application sends information outside you must take care of this data so it would be also backuped or archived, and check whether those backups are available and accessible only to authorized users. And when it comes to the question of sensitive data protection, encryption is typically considered to be the best practice. In short, data encryption involves the conversion of data into indecipherable symbols with the help of complex algorithms that require a security key to convert the data back into its original form and is very important in cases when data may be stored or backuped in locations available to users besides your staff.
This makes your data secure and protects it from unauthorized users unless your special keys are stolen. Here are few recommendations that will help you implement encryption: Data can be encrypted with a single security key access or with separate keys for encryption and decryption symmetric and asymmetric data encryption and the level of security can be adjusted as appropriate based on the sensitivity of the data.
Covered entities are required to have in place audit controls to monitor activity on their electronic systems that contain or use electronic protected health information. In addition, they have to have a policy for regularly monitoring and reviewing of audit records to ensure that activity on those electronic systems is appropriate. Such activities should include login and logout, file accesses, updates, edits, and any security incidents. Monitoring and reviewing of audit trails must be as close to real time as possible so they would stay useful. As you all know, there is no benefit in discovering an outdated problem.
If a security incident occurs failure to exercise this audit control standard may be the proof of an inquiry that a covered entity had the capability to know what was occurring but failed to exercise corrective action timely. The thing to mention is that the technical capabilities of audit controls must be available in order to review the system activity. Employees at all levels must understand how often audits will take place, how the results will be analyzed, what sanction policies will be used, and where audit information will be stored.
As you might know, automatic logoff implementation will require the authorized user to re-enter a password to gain access to electronic protected health information. This feature will terminate a login session after a predetermined period of inactivity which should ensure that access is still secured in cases when someone walks away from a computer or system.
As it is an addressable specification, timeout and logoff features will depend on the size of a covered entity and the degree of access to electronic information system devices. As a benchmark, you may establish a minute timeout period before the logoff capability locks the device and makes information inaccessible. In case your device is in the high-traffic area, you might need to set a timeout of 2 to 3 minutes.
5 Steps for Implementing a Successful HIPAA Compliance Plan
And devices in protected areas with controlled, limited access, such as a lab or an isolated office, could have longer timeout periods. Well, each platform has a specific way to implement this feature. For example, if you build a Java based application that will run inside the Tomcat container you can just add few lines of code in your web.
Timeout settings will be suggested by the risk analysis based on the size of facility, location, and accessibility of EMR system devices. The covered entity should pay particular attention to the growing use of handheld devices that can be moved from one part of a covered entity to another as it affects its timeout strategy.
The Privacy Rule allows covered healthcare providers to communicate electronically with their patients through e-mails but reasonable safeguards should be in place. Further, while the Privacy Rule does not prohibit the use of unencrypted e-mail for treatment-related communications between healthcare providers and patients, other safeguards should be applied to protect privacy, such as limiting the amount or type of information disclosed through the unencrypted e-mail.
If a healthcare organization uses emails only as an internal form of communication or has an authorization form that a person should fill and send with information being unencrypted there is no need to implement this addressable safeguard. Another advantage is that policies and procedures put in place will help you control how mobile devices are used within your healthcare organization.
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Although, surveys show that in practice many medical professionals still use personal devices to send corporate emails, which is a way for hackers to steal data for unprotected devices. In this case, secure messaging solutions prevent this. They work by maintaining ePHI on a secure database and then allowing authorized medical professionals to access the data via downloadable secure messaging apps. Communications are channeled through a secure messaging platform which has administrative controls in place to monitor the activity of the authorized personnel.
But I need to mention that many healthcare organizations have reported that implementation of secure messaging feature has increased the overall productivity by streamlining communications, increasing message accountability, and accelerating response times. And by the way, according to studies conducted in HIPAA compliant medical facilities, besides higher efficiency organizations noticed a higher standard of healthcare being delivered to patients.
Mobile health apps are popular with patients for tracking and monitoring health and fitness, and wearable devices have potential to revolutionize home healthcare. They can be used in conjunction with e-visits to provide home care services to patients at a fraction of the healthcare center visits.
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On the other hand, for many organizations the rise of mobile devices means simplicity and efficiency and, at the same time, these devices present serious vulnerabilities in the data security plans. More recently, since the original legislation was passed security regulations have enacted in HIPAA to account for technological changes and different working practices in the healthcare industry.
How to make your organization compliant with the Health Insurance Portability and . The Privacy Rule had an effective compliance date of April 14,. , and . We published and distributed to clients HIPAA Manuals in , and accurate, simple, and cost-effective compliance program possible. Even practitioners who are not HIPAA compliant will find much of the.
No matter what type of technology a healthcare provider uses, he is obligated to protect PHI. If a smartphone or tablet is used to access, transmit, receive or store information, it must have certain security precautions in place. Here are a few of the most important suggestions for mobile solutions: The development of HIPAA compliant mobile app, compliant storage, and compliant web solutions means that healthcare providers can take advantage of the benefits of new technology without running the risks. The implications of HIPAA to patients are that their healthcare information is treated more sensitively and can be accessed more quickly by their healthcare providers.
Electronically stored health information is now better protected than paper records ever were, and healthcare organizations that have implemented mechanisms to comply with HIPAA regulations are witnessing an improved efficiency. This manifests as a higher standard of healthcare. On the other side, healthcare organizations are not solely concerned with the standard of healthcare they can provide to individual patients. Healthcare organizations want to increase the services they can provide, want to raise the quality of care and improve patient safety through research.
However, research is restricted by HIPAA and restricted access to ePHI has the potential to slow down the rate at which improvements can be made in the healthcare industry. There is also a price to pay for improved data security.
The A to Z Technical Guide to Meet HIPAA Compliance – Romexsoft
Implementing the necessary controls to secure ePHI can carry a substantial cost. Increasing funding for compliance has potential to actually reduce the level of patient care, while the administrative burden that HIPAA compliance policy places furthers shortfall of resources. But all the negative sides are small in comparison to huge advantages and a big number of threats. Also, if data privacy and security are not addressed the Office for Civil Rights can issue fines for non-compliance. Preventable data breaches are likely to see considerable financial penalties issued.
And while the initial cost of investment in the necessary technical, physical and administrative safeguards to secure patient data may be high the improvements can result in cost savings over time. Creating adequate safeguards does not happen overnight. There are a number of actions an entity can take to make sure that their EHR systems and IT assets are secure. Such measures leverage an integrated use of data loss prevention tools, intrusion prevention, anti-malware, file integrity monitoring, robust identity management and authentication programs, role-based access, and data security solutions.
This will include listing all computing and mobile devices , where paper files are stored, how you will secure your offices when you are closed, etc.
The A to Z Technical Guide to Meet HIPAA Compliance
This is not a one-time event and will change over time as technology and risks change. You will want to revisit your Risk Assessment anytime you have a Breach, theft, or major change in hardware or software, but at a minimum every years. Policies and Procedures need to be updated regularly and any changes need to be clearly documented and communicated to your staff.
Most of you use vendors or contractors to help run your practice or business. This list can get pretty long, and should be documented in your Risk Assessment. Make sure you do an audit of your Business Associates before you accept a signed Agreement from them. Auditing means looking at their Compliance Plan. Employees are many times your weakest link. In addition, you must keep records that they have been trained. Come back next week when we will be talking about Privacy Officers.
What does it take to be one? Who is a good candidate in your practice, and what kinds of responsibilities will they have? Jason is also an accomplished opera singer and has performed across the US and Europe.