Trust is a vital factor that affects the success of any relationship, whether it be personal or professional. Without this foundational element, interpersonal and business relationships would be filled with suspicion and uncertainty leading to conflict and ultimately the disintegration of any bond that existed. In today’s digitally-driven world, this core human value is now more critical than ever. Many of the transactions we perform daily force us to deal with entities we have never met in real life. Dealing with any organization that processes and stores our personal data requires us to trust that they will honor their commitments and keep our sensitive information secure.
When it comes to healthcare, patient trust is a core element of any practice. Any incident that jeopardizes patient trust can destroy the relationship and threaten the future of the organization. As people are effectively placing their health and welfare under the direct care of a practitioner, trust is effectively the only human emotion at play in this relationship. We not only trust them with our lives but with keeping our medical information private and secure. Should this data be compromised in any way, it would not only place the patient in a precarious position but would also destroy the trust relationship that existed with the practitioner.
HIPAA Strengthens Patient Trust
The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) helps strengthen patient trust in various ways. It provides mechanisms that enhance the transparency, privacy, and security of electronic healthcare information. Not only does the Act help prevent sensitive patient data from compromise, but it also gives patients access and protects their private medical information.
Under HIPAA, medical organizations and practitioners that process and store patient healthcare information must implement measures that ensure compliance with the obligations stipulated under the statute. Some of these measures include conducting regular security risk assessments and deploying technologies that protect access to patient information such as Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) and encryption. Complying with the provisions specified under HIPAA should not only be seen as a legal or regulatory obligation but as accreditation that the organization takes patient confidentiality and security seriously. It helps build that vital trust factor as patients know that the entity has implemented the necessary safeguards needed to protect the privacy of their sensitive medical information. Achieving HIPAA compliance should therefore not be seen as a regulatory obligation but as an essential business practice that builds patient trust.
The Healthcare Industry is Not Immune to Cybersecurity Risks
As the world has become more digital and many of the vital services that run our lives have moved online, cybersecurity is a fundamental principle that every organization needs to put into practice. No enterprise is immune from a cyber attack, and this fact is particularly true for organizations that operate in the healthcare industry.
According to the 2018 Verizon Protected Health Information Data Breach Report, 58% of incidents involved insiders. This statistic highlighted the fact that healthcare is the leading industry in which internal actors are the biggest threat to an organization.It’s interesting to note that the majority of these incidents involved human error. Although malicious actions such as misuse of information, physical intrusion, and hacking also contributed to breaches involving the healthcare industry, human error was a leading cause of data compromise. These statistics show the vital role HIPAA can play in helping organizations reduce the risk of data breaches involving protected health information.
How to Comply with HIPAA Rules
HIPAA compliance is not a one time exercise but an ongoing assessment that involves a synchronized endeavor involving people, processes, and technology. As human error is the leading cause of data breaches in the healthcare industry, it is vitally important to implement the safeguards that HIPAA has created to reduce the risk of intentional or accidental compromise of patient healthcare information.
Under HIPAA, there are specific obligations that are required and others that are addressable. Required safeguards are mandatory for any organization that stores, processes, or transmits electronically protected healthcare information. Addressable provisions are not mandatory, but organizations need to either implement these or provide evidence that shows that these are not relevant to their specific circumstances.
The HIPAA Privacy Rule deals with protected health information (PHI) in general. The HIPAA Security Rule provides compliance regulations for electronic PHI (ePHI). Under this section of the Act, there are various administrative, physical, and technical safeguards that offer the appropriate measures healthcare organizations need to implement to ensure patient privacy and the security of their ePHI.
Administrative safeguards include actions such as undertaking risk analysis and performing an information system activity review. It also recommends that organizations conduct regular cybersecurity awareness training and create an incident response plan.
Physical safeguards include measures such as deploying facility access controls and implementing the necessary steps to securely and safely dispose of media that contain ePHI.
Finally, the technical safeguards specified under HIPAA’s security rule include legislative obligations that healthcare organizations need to implement such as ensuring unique user identification, creating an emergency access procedure, and installing technologies that provide data integrity and transmission security.
Increasing Patient Trust with HIPAA
Although HIPAA may be a regulatory obligation, it should also be seen as a mechanism that builds patient trust. A healthcare entity that takes the appropriate measures to comply with HIPAA stands a far better chance of not becoming a victim of a data breach. In this way, the organization safeguards its operations and also nurtures the trust essential to building lasting relationships with its patients.
