It has been 14 years since healthcare software has been used in the healthcare industry. Ever since, it has become more evident and even persistent in healthcare operations and care delivery. From enabling holistic data-backed approaches in care delivery to closing the gaps between healthcare and patients, it is now shaping the future of the healthcare industry.
However, the story is not all goody-goody! While healthcare software has enhanced the crucial aspects of healthcare delivery, there still remain some challenges that impact other aspects of healthcare.
One of the major aspects of that is data security. Year 2023 recorded the highest number of data breaches, leading to as many as 113 million records being exposed or stolen. The healthcare data being a goal mine for the thieves, it can impact the healthcare practice and patients in numerous ways.
That is the reason why the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act also known as HIPAA was introduced. This is regulated by the US Department of Health and Human Service (HHS) which basically regulates the data safety and privacy of patients.
However, achieving HIPAA compliance for custom healthcare software is not a walk in the park. There are several challenges that one needs to make their healthcare software HIPAA compliant.
Though the HIPAA compliance software development can be tricky, the best way to achieve that is to understand the rules and regulations put forth.
In this blog, we’re going to understand HIPAA compliance better to help you in building secure healthcare applications.
Demystifying HIPAA
To demystify the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, we first need to understand the act. So, in a nutshell, it is a law enacted by the United States in 1996, and it basically allows individuals to keep their health insurance plans even if they change jobs or in case of uncertain life events. It was introduced to combat fraud and abuse in healthcare. Along with that, it also establishes national standards for the privacy and safeguarding of the patient’s medical data, also known as protected health information (PHI).
So, basically, HIPAA focuses on protecting patient privacy by regulating how healthcare providers can handle and disclose their protected health information. While it primarily focused on the protection of data in the traditional healthcare landscape, as the healthcare industry is transitioning into a digital landscape, there are many provisions introduced to give individuals more control of their health information, and it can be used for your healthcare journey.
Under HIPAA, there are some covered entities, which are basically organizations or individuals who are authorized to comply with specific privacy and security regulations to protect patient health information. These entities covered under HIPAA are health plans, healthcare providers, and healthcare clearinghouses.
Along with these covered entities, business associates also play a crucial role in supporting these covered entities and ensuring patient data security. There are some ways it ensures that, for instance, they access PHI who use PHI for other service providers. Along with that, it also obliges the covered entities to attain HIPAA compliance through a Business Associate Agreement. Apart from this, though these business associates do not come directly under HIPAA, they are indirectly liable for certain HIPAA violations.
HIPAA Compliance for Custom Software Development
Now that you have briefly understood what HIPAA is and how HIPAA Compliance works let’s take time to learn how to achieve HIPAA compliance with custom software development for healthcare. Let’s have a look at the three major aspects of this:
- HIPAA Risk Assessment: To ensure your healthcare software complies with HIPAA the very step you need to take is to conduct a thorough risk assessment of your data security and patient privacy. This will help in identifying the potential vulnerabilities that might be present in your healthcare software. Since there are certain guidelines set by HIPAA that one should abide by, abiding your software development with respect to it can go a long way.
- Secure Access Controls: The next step is to implement robust access controls in your healthcare software as a part of regulatory compliance. This will not only help you in restricting unauthorized access to electronic health information within the software. It not only helps healthcare providers in enhancing their operations but also to ensure data security and patient privacy. Incorporating protocols such as Data Security Posture Management can further enhance operations by ensuring compliance, safeguarding sensitive data, and maintaining patient privacy.
- Data Encryption and Transmission: Last but not the least, implement the best data encryption strategies to protect your protected health information when it is at rest or in transition. Since when the data is at rest there are high chances of data breaches. However, with data encryption you add another layer of security to safeguard your data.
HIPAA considers this to be one of the most important aspects of data security and maintaining patient privacy. These are some of the things that you must adhere to for HIPAA compliant software development.
Addressing HIPAA Compliance Throughout the Development Lifecycle
Addressing security concerns is important, but you cannot build robust healthcare software if you’ve not prepared for it from the start. That is why it is important to address HIPAA compliance throughout the development of healthcare software lifestyle. Here are some of the best practices that you can use in your custom software development for building secure healthcare applications:
- Secure Coding Practices: The best way to minimize the maximum amount of vulnerabilities in custom software development for healthcare is to practice clean and secure coding. In simple terms, the healthcare IT teams have to write codes that prioritize data security and patient privacy.
- Ongoing Training and Awareness: One of the best practices for HIPAA Compliance, which is often ignored by many healthcare providers and healthcare IT teams, is providing ongoing training for developers and users. It is important because it helps both parties understand the intricacies of HIPAA compliance and its regulations better, which leads to building secure healthcare applications and implementing healthcare data security best practices from the start.
The Benefits of HIPAA Compliance
Data security and patient privacy are some of the most integral aspects of patient care in healthcare. Furthermore, as healthcare practices are moving towards a completely digital landscape navigating through numerous data breaches, the importance of HIPAA compliance for custom software development for healthcare is becoming more evident.
Having said that, other than the assurance HIPAA compliance gives to custom healthcare software solutions, here are some of the other benefits of HIPAA compliant software development:
- Enhanced Patient Trust: HIPAA compliance acts as a flag bearer of data security and patient privacy for both patients. This helps healthcare providers build trust with patients by ensuring that they safeguard their confidential medical information.
- Reduced Risk of Penalties: Violating HIPAA regulations can lead to severe financial penalties when the data is breached, along with legal consequences, which can potentially lead to reputation damage for the healthcare practice. So, to smoothly navigate through the legal landscape of data security and save your practice from reputation and financial damages, it is best to adhere to compliance with HIPAA regulations.
- Competitive Advantage: Last but not least, HIPAA compliance can also be an advantageous point that can give you an edge over other healthcare practices. Since it gives the patient a sense of assurance and safety, it can give you a clear edge in the competition.
Resources for Developers
Custom software development with HIPAA compliance can be a complex and time-consuming affair for healthcare IT teams. During the development lifecycle, it can be difficult for healthcare IT professionals to find the right resources to abide by HIPAA regulatory compliance. So, to help your healthcare IT teams with the right resources, here are a few things that can help you in building secure healthcare applications with HIPAA compliance.
- HIPAA Official Website: During the development of your custom healthcare software, HIPAA’s official website should always be your reference site. Here is the link to the HIPAA website for you to bookmark.
- Industry Best Practices: One of the best option for healthcare IT teams for custom software development is to adopt industry best practices. Some of the best practices are to adhere the HIPAA regulations and implement robust APIs, encryptions, and role-based access control functionalities.
- HIPAA Compliance Checklist: Understanding the intricacies that lie beneath HIPAA compliant software development, we have curated a HIPAA Compliance Checklist to make the process easier for you. Click here to download the free HIPAA Compliance Checklist.
Conclusion
With the growing number of attacks on healthcare IT systems amidst the rising trend of custom healthcare software development, the role of HIPAA compliance is becoming even more evident. So, for HIPAA compliant software development, let this blog be your guiding light.
Enhance your healthcare software’s data security and ensure patient privacy by achieving HIPAA compliance. To make the process easier for you, here our healthcare IT team experienced in healthcare software development that can help you in building secure healthcare applications.
Frequently Asked Questions
- What is the difference between the HIPAA Privacy Rule and the Security Rule?
The HIPAA Privacy Rule governs how a patient’s medical information (protected health information or PHI) is used and disclosed. The Security Rule focuses on safeguarding PHI electronically through things like encryption and access controls. In short, the Privacy Rule says what you can do with PHI, and the Security Rule says how to protect it electronically.
- How often should HIPAA risk assessments be conducted?
HIPAA regulations don’t specify a mandatory frequency but recommend conducting HIPAA risk assessments annually or at least every two years. However, it’s good practice to be more frequent, especially considering evolving threats and business changes.
- What are the penalties for HIPAA violations?
HIPAA violations can result in significant civil penalties, reaching up to $1.5 million per violation. There can also be criminal charges, including imprisonment.
- Can I use cloud services to store patient data?
Yes, cloud services can be a secure option for storing patient data. However, it’s crucial to choose a service that adheres to HIPAA regulations. HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act) ensures patient privacy and data security. Make sure your cloud provider offers features like encryption and access controls to keep patient information safe.
- How do I choose a HIPAA compliant hosting provider?
Here are some tips for choosing a HIPAA compliant hosting provider:
- Look for providers who are HIPAA certified by a reputable organization.
- Ask about their security measures to protect patient data.
- Ensure they have a Business Associate Agreement (BAA) in place.
- Read reviews from other healthcare providers.
- What is the role of a Business Associate Agreement (BAA)?
A Business Associate Agreement (BAA) is a legal contract that spells out how protected health information (PHI) is handled. It’s required by HIPAA for any vendor that accesses PHI from a covered entity, like a hospital or doctor’s office. The BAA outlines each party’s responsibilities for securing and safeguarding PHI.
