If your healthcare organization is subject to HIPAA, odds are you’ve come across HITRUST CSF in the course of your compliance efforts. Understanding what the framework is and how it relates to HIPAA can help you decide the best path for your compliance journey.
Read on to find the details you need to decide whether HITRUST certification is the right choice for your healthcare organization.
What is HIPAA compliance?
The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) was signed into U.S. law by President Bill Clinton in 1996 to address two key issues within the healthcare industry:
- Ensure health insurance coverage for employees who are between jobs. Without HIPAA, individuals in this situation could be left without access to health insurance and potentially unable to pay for necessary healthcare.
- Prevent healthcare fraud by securing protected health information (PHI). The HIPAA Privacy Rule introduced critical changes to how healthcare organizations can store, handle, access, and share sensitive patient information.
HIPAA applies to healthcare providers, health plans, healthcare clearinghouses, and business associates of HIPAA-covered entities.
HIPAA compliance is the process of securing PHI and ePHI in accordance with HIPAA rules.
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What is PHI Under HIPAA? Requirements for Compliance
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What is HITRUST CSF?
The Health Information Trust Alliance (HITRUST) was founded in 2007 to help organizations from all sectors (but especially healthcare) effectively manage information risk and secure sensitive data. HITRUST partnered with data protection professionals to establish HITRUST CSF as a single security and privacy framework that would satisfy requirements across multiple data privacy regulations, including HIPAA, ISO 27001, NIST, GDPR, and PCI DSS. The HITRUST common security framework offers clarity and consistency for organizations that need to comply with several data privacy and security laws.
HITRUST helps healthcare organizations with information risk management across a matrix of third-party assurance assessments and it’s one of the most effective ways to demonstrate compliance with HIPAA requirements. Because it offers organizations a comprehensive way to implement data protection best practices, HITRUST is one of the most widely adopted cybersecurity frameworks across the globe.
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Read MoreHITRUST vs HIPAA: What are the legal requirements?
HIPAA and HITRUST are not the same, and it is possible to be HITRUST certified and still violate HIPAA.
HIPAA is a federal law that explains what healthcare organizations must do to protect sensitive patient information. All covered entities and their business associates must comply with HIPAA regulations or risk civil or criminal violation penalties.
HITRUST CSF is a framework that helps covered entities and business associates take the necessary steps to comply with the requirements laid out in HIPAA legislation. As is true with many other cybersecurity frameworks such as NIST, HITRUST certification is not legally mandated. Any healthcare organization or service provider can pursue certification.
Simply put, HIPAA defines what covered entities must do under the law. HITRUST helps them figure out how they will do it.
How HITRUST certification helps healthcare organizations prove HIPAA compliance
HIPAA requires organizations to complete annual internal information security audits, but it’s not prescriptive about how covered entities and business associates can prove compliance with the law.
To demonstrate HIPAA compliance, healthcare organizations can become HITRUST CSF certified, which involves a third-party audit.
The HITRUST Certification Process
As with most data security audits, the process is typically broken down into a few defined phases:
Phase 1: Readiness and remediation
To prepare for HITRUST certification, many organizations hire an authorized HITRUST external assessor to help them determine the type and scope of audit they need and evaluate the controls they currently have in place. This process helps them identify and fix any gaps they may have in their compliance posture before their audit. The readiness assessment and remediation phase can take anywhere from 2-6 months.
Phase 2: Validated assessment
The assessor will test controls, review documentation, interview personnel, and review penetration testing and vulnerability scanning reports. Based on their findings, the assessor will determine control maturity and level of compliance: fully, mostly, partially, somewhat, or non-compliant. The final assessment is sent to HITRUST for approval.
Phase 3: Quality assurance review and report
Once the validated assessment is submitted, HITRUST completes a quality assurance review and generates a final certification report. This can take 4-8 weeks.
HITRUST certification is valid for 24 months, with an interim assessment required at 12 months.
Secureframe makes it easy to get HIPAA compliant and HITRUST certified
With the emergence of more sophisticated threats and the prevalence of data privacy legislation, it’s more important than ever to protect your business and your customers against security risks and data breaches. Our all-in-one security and privacy compliance automation platform makes it faster and easier to achieve and maintain compliance with the most rigorous global security standards.
- Continuously monitor your HIPAA safeguards and security controls for continuous compliance
- Access data security and privacy training within the platform and track employee completion
- Monitor vendors and business associates with access to PHI in one platform
- Automatically collect evidence for annual compliance audits
To learn more about how Secureframe streamlines security and privacy compliance, schedule a demo with a product expert.
FAQs
Are HIPAA and HITRUST the same?
No, HIPAA and HITRUST are not the same.
HIPAA is a federal law that requires the protection and confidential handling of protected health information (PHI). It sets standards for privacy, security, and breach notifications in healthcare.
HITRUST is not a law but a certifiable framework that aligns with existing standards and regulations, including HIPAA, to help organizations manage their security risks in healthcare and beyond.
What is HITRUST?
HITRUST CSF provides a comprehensive risk and compliance management framework for organizations, particularly in healthcare. The HITRUST CSF integrates and harmonizes various regulations, standards, and business requirements, including HIPAA, NIST, ISO, and others, into a single framework. It aims to ensure that sensitive information, including PHI, is securely managed and protected.
What is the difference between HIPAA and HITRUST?
- HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act): A U.S. federal law enacted in 1996 that sets standards for the protection of sensitive patient data. HIPAA includes provisions for safeguarding medical information, privacy, and security standards to protect individuals' medical records and other personal health information.
- HITRUST (Health Information Trust Alliance): An organization that developed the Common Security Framework (CSF), which provides a comprehensive, certifiable framework for managing regulatory compliance and risk management. HITRUST CSF incorporates and harmonizes various standards, including HIPAA, to create a unified security and privacy framework.
What is the difference between HITECH and HIPAA?
HITECH, or the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act, is a part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. It extends the scope of privacy and security protections available under HIPAA and promotes the adoption and meaningful use of health information technology. HITECH strengthens the enforcement of HIPAA rules by increasing the penalties for HIPAA violations and expanding the requirements for breach notifications.
What is HITRUST in healthcare?
HITRUST in healthcare refers to the HITRUST Common Security Framework (CSF), which is a certifiable framework designed to help healthcare organizations manage and protect sensitive information. HITRUST CSF integrates and harmonizes various standards, including HIPAA, NIST, ISO, and others, to provide a comprehensive approach to information security, privacy, and risk management in the healthcare industry.
Does HIPAA have a certification?
No, HIPAA itself does not have a formal certification process. Instead, compliance with HIPAA is assessed through HIPAA audits and investigations conducted by the Department of Health and Human Services' (HHS) Office for Civil Rights (OCR). Organizations can demonstrate their commitment to HIPAA compliance through third-party assessments and certifications like HITRUST CSF, which includes HIPAA requirements within its framework.
Who enforces HIPAA?
HIPAA is enforced by the Office for Civil Rights (OCR) within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). The OCR is responsible for investigating complaints, conducting compliance reviews, and taking enforcement actions in cases of non-compliance to ensure that covered entities and their business associates comply with HIPAA's privacy and security rules.
