What Type of Government Regulations, Industry Standards, and Technical Frameworks Apply to Healthcare Cybersecurity and GRC?
In the healthcare industry, safeguarding sensitive information such as Protected Health Information (PHI) is critical. Cybersecurity and Governance, Risk, and Compliance (GRC) practices are integral to ensuring the security and confidentiality of patient data. However, understanding the various government regulations, industry standards, and technical frameworks that apply can be overwhelming.
Healthcare providers must comply with a variety of laws, standards, and guidelines to avoid penalties and, more importantly, protect patients’ trust. This blog will explore the key regulations and frameworks, explaining how they impact healthcare organizations and how Tesseris can help ensure compliance and protect your practice.
HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act)
The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) is perhaps the most well-known regulation in healthcare. It includes both the Privacy Rule and the Security Rule, which dictate how PHI should be handled, stored, and transmitted. The HIPAA Security Rule sets standards for ensuring that electronic PHI (ePHI) is protected, including:
Administrative Safeguards: Policies and procedures to manage employees and data access.
Physical Safeguards: Protecting physical access to healthcare facilities and systems.
Technical Safeguards: Ensuring that only authorized individuals have access to ePHI.
How Tesseris Helps: Our team specializes in conducting comprehensive security assessments to ensure your organization complies with HIPAA’s stringent requirements. From policy documentation to implementing technical controls, we help secure your patient data and ensure compliance with HIPAA regulations.
HITECH Act
The Health Information Technology For Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH) Act was enacted to encourage the adoption of electronic health records (EHRs) but also strengthened HIPAA enforcement. HITECH increased penalties for non-compliance, making it essential for healthcare providers to maintain a robust cybersecurity posture.
How Tesseris Helps: By offering remediation testing and incident response plans, we ensure your practice meets the stricter HITECH requirements, preventing costly fines and ensuring patient data is fully protected in your EHR systems.
NIST Cybersecurity Framework
The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Cybersecurity Framework provides a voluntary set of guidelines for improving critical infrastructure cybersecurity. Although it’s not legally required for healthcare organizations, many use it to align with best practices for managing cybersecurity risks.
The NIST framework includes five core functions:
Identify: Develop an understanding of how to manage cybersecurity risk.
Protect: Implement appropriate safeguards to ensure critical services.
Detect: Identify the occurrence of a cybersecurity event.
Respond: Take action regarding a detected cybersecurity incident.
Recover: Restore capabilities or services after a cybersecurity event.
How Tesseris Helps: Our expertise in healthcare allows us to tailor the NIST framework to meet the specific needs of small healthcare practices. We offer complete security assessments and gap analysis services to identify where your practice can improve its cybersecurity measures and adhere to NIST’s best practices.
ISO/IEC 27001
The International Organization for Standardization/International Electrotechnical Commission (ISO/IEC) 27001 standard is internationally recognized for managing information security. Healthcare organizations seeking to establish a formal information security management system (ISMS) can adopt this standard to demonstrate their commitment to securing data.
How Tesseris Helps: We help healthcare practices align with ISO/IEC 27001 by developing the necessary security frameworks and policies. Our team offers internal audits and third-party vendor management services to ensure you meet and maintain this globally recognized standard.
SOC 2
Service Organization Controls 2 (SOC 2) is a framework designed for service providers, including those in healthcare, to ensure they securely manage data to protect patient privacy. This is especially important for organizations using cloud services or third-party vendors for data processing.
How Tesseris Helps: Our third-party vendor management services and quarterly compliance reviews ensure that your cloud-based services and vendors meet the security standards required for SOC 2 compliance, giving your patients peace of mind that their data is safe.
Conclusion: Navigating Healthcare Cybersecurity Regulations and Frameworks is Key to Protecting Your Practice
Navigating the complex world of healthcare cybersecurity regulations is essential for pediatric healthcare organizations aiming to protect sensitive patient data and maintain compliance with industry standards. By addressing risks through gap analysis, developing incident response plans, and ensuring alignment with frameworks like HIPAA, HITECH, NIST, and SOC 2, healthcare practices can strengthen their defenses against cyber threats.
At Tesseris, we are committed to helping pediatric healthcare providers secure their practices and maintain regulatory compliance. Whether you need assistance with risk assessments, compliance management, or incident response planning, our experts are here to guide you every step of the way.
Contact us today to learn how Tesseris can support your organization in safeguarding patient data and ensuring compliance with healthcare cybersecurity standards.