Healthcare Data Security Regulations

Compliance regulations often address security and privacy together.

Healthcare data security regulations.

Regulations like hipaa and guidance from the hcic task force provide a great framework and recommendations for establishing best practices for a more secure environment. The health information technology for economic and clinical health hitech act of 2009 empowers the federal department of health and human services hhs to oversee the promotion of health it including quality safety and security as well as the secure information exchange. As well as laying down directives to safeguard a company s it systems and its data from cyber attacks regulations put a responsibility on companies to protect themselves from accidental breaches. Any organization that handles healthcare data.

Hipaa covered entities must also implement appropriate administrative. Protected health information phi can only be shared by secured methods. Using traditional unsecured email a common way to share phi electronically can put an organization s hipaa compliance in jeopardy. Data regulations also cover paper records in a similar manner to digital records.

That includes but is not limited to doctor s offices hospitals insurance companies business associates and employers. Healthcare data security is an important element of health insurance portability and accountability act rules. Pci dss payment card industry data security standard a set of 12 regulations designed to reduce fraud and protect customer credit card information. The hipaa security rule requires covered entities to assess data security controls by conducting a risk assessment and implement a risk management program to address any vulnerabilities that are identified.

Hipaa regulations apply to all healthcare providers health plans and. Under the regulations patients must be notified of any unauthorized access or use of their information. There is no doubt that security in the healthcare industry is complex and absolutely necessary to keep critical information safe and private.