Healthcare providers now utilize digital marketing more than ever to attract and connect with prospective clients. When depending on digital sources it is important to prioritize patient privacy, failing to which will invite legal complexities. The ability to manage data security affects everything, including your financial situation and patient trust. But in your sector, your comprehensive access to confidential data puts you at risk of a breach. New data show an increase in healthcare cybersecurity assaults that shows no indications of abating.
The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) prioritizes patient privacy and takes necessary actions to prevent data insecurity and other legal complexities. Hence, HIPAA compliance is essential for the operation of your healthcare institution. HIPAA has been the target of a torrent of misunderstandings, spelling mistakes (HIPAA, HIPPO, or HIPPA depending on the person), and even social media uproar.
This post will go over how healthcare providers can stay in compliance with HIPAA while utilizing digital marketing strategies. You can seek assistance from managed IT services in Philadelphia to ensure HIPAA compliance.
Knowledge About HIPAA Compliance
HIPAA contains clauses specifying various regulations and requirements for protecting individuals information. The clauses are listed below.
Privacy Rule
The privacy rule defines national standards for protecting people’s medical records and other private health information. It restricts how such information may be used and disclosed, and grants patients rights to their data, including how it may be used in digital marketing initiatives.
Security Rule
It focuses on protecting electronically protected health information (ePHI) and mandates that covered entities have security measures to guarantee the privacy, accuracy, and availability of ePHI.
Breach Notification Rule
When unsecured protected health information is compromised, covered entities are required by the Breach Notification Rule to notify the affected persons, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), and occasionally the media.
It is important to learn about the categories of data that HIPAA covers and the limitations it places on data usage and disclosure if you’re a marketer working with HIPAA-compliant businesses. Building compliant digital ads will start with understanding these regulations.
Who Does HIPAA Apply to?
A set of standards are used by the US Federal Law known as HIPAA to determine whether or not an entity must adhere to its requirements. Commercial partners, hybrid companies, subcontractors, and researchers are usually subject to HIPAA.
HIPAA Privacy Rule: What is it?
The specific provision of the HIPAA Law focuses on safeguarding Personal Health Information (PHI) is known as the HIPAA Privacy Rule. It set federal guidelines for exchanging and storing PHI by covered entities, healthcare clearinghouses, and commercial partners. It created guidelines to safeguard patient data used in healthcare. The federal government’s Office of Civil Rights (OCR), part of the Health and Human Services (HHS) division, enforces HIPAA Rules and Regulations.
Right of Access: What is it?
Access to one’s protected health information (PHI) is covered under the right of access. Patients have the right to request access to their PHI from their physicians, as stated in the HIPAA Privacy Rule. In particular, it ensures that patients can access records quickly and affordably. These documents may include a person’s medical history, billing information from a doctor’s office, health plan details, and any other information needed to draw judgments about them. When doctors or health plans refuse to grant access to information, the right of access program also prioritizes enforcement. While providers are not required to create new knowledge, they must give it to patients upon request. Patients should ask their providers for this information.
How Can Healthcare Providers Maintain HIPAA Compliance?
1. Set PHI Compliance First
Protecting PHI’s confidentiality, integrity, and availability is the cornerstone of HIPAA. Healthcare businesses must put administrative, technical, and physical protections in place to protect this sensitive data to maintain HIPAA compliance.
- Limit PHI access to those who need to know.
- Apply adequate access controls, such as safe passwords and distinct user IDs.
- All users with access to PHI should be required to employ MFA (multi-factor authentication), which combines several types of verification such as passwords, tokens, and biometrics.
- Keep an eye on audit system activity often.
- Create a thorough incident response plan to deal with security breaches immediately.
- Run regular vulnerability scans and penetration tests to find any potential weak points in your security system.
2. Create an Environment of Compliance
More than simply following regulations is needed to create a culture of compliance. It creates an atmosphere where staff members value patient privacy protection and proactively recognize and manage threats.
- Create policies and procedures that describe your organization’s dedication to HIPAA compliance in clear, written language.
- Include HIPAA information and training in your onboarding procedure, and provide all workers regular refreshers.
- Create a safe way for employees to report possible HIPAA violations without worrying about consequences.
3. Stay Informed
HIPAA security regulations must change as technology progresses to accommodate new threats. For patient privacy and preserving compliance, it’s imperative to be informed about these changes.
- Stay updated with cybersecurity for the healthcare industry.
- Sign up for trade publications and blogs to keep up with developments in healthcare cybersecurity and data privacy.
Attend seminars and webinars about healthcare data security to pick up tips from field professionals and network with other attendees.
4. Get Ready for Audits and Inquiries
Business partners and HIPAA-covered businesses must get ready for audits and investigations. You can save money on fines and protect your firm’s reputation by ensuring your organization complies with HIPAA regulations.
- Maintain thorough records of your compliance activities. Risk analyses, policies, and employee training records must all be included.
- Show that you are dedicated to enhancing your company’s privacy and security procedures.
5. Conduct Third-party Risk Analyses
Businesses affiliated with healthcare organizations frequently have access to PHI and conduct risk analyses. There are several ways to do this:
- Reevaluate third parties’ compliance regularly.
- Contracts should contain provisions for data protection and processes for reporting breaches.
6. Use Secure Data Backup Techniques
Data backups are crucial for HIPAA compliance to guarantee PHI’s availability in the event of unintentional deletion, system failure, or cybercrime. It is essential to secure data while backing the data. And it is recommended to take professional help with data backups to avoid loss of data and security vulnerabilities.
Final Thoughts
Healthcare providers can advertise their services while protecting patient privacy and abiding by the law using these best practices. By putting these tactics into practice, clinicians can interact with prospective patients online in a productive way while lowering the chance of HIPAA violations and protecting the reputation of their practice.
