The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) sets a high bar for protecting sensitive patient data. While no method can guarantee complete safety, incorporating several key strategies will significantly reduce risks and help to prevent a HIPAA breach.
Lay a Strong Foundation
Preventing HIPAA data breaches begins with incorporating basic practices designed to reduce vulnerabilities and strengthen the data environment.
Regular risk assessments
Typically, a risk assessment begins with an inventory of protected health information (PHI), as well as of the information systems that support this data. It also includes the processes, policies, and security controls that determine data storage, movement, and access.
The assessment measures existing security and compliance practices against regulatory requirements and industry standards. It may also include penetration testing. A detailed report of the assessment findings will highlight security and compliance gaps and act as a guide for developing next steps. Then follow up with automated compliance monitoring.
Strict access controls
To help ensure that only authorized personnel can view or modify PHI, pay particular attention to access control. This involves strengthening policies and procedures around verifying user identity and then carefully controlling what access each user has.
Support the principle of least privilege by granting users access only to the data and resources required. Using strong authentication methods such as MFA and maintaining detailed access logs will help protect PHI from breach.
Incident response plan
Cyber incidents will happen. But do not let them catch you unprepared. Make a detailed plan in advance for how your organization will manage incidents. An incident response plan will include steps to contain and assess the breach and then eradicate the infection. It will also detail the recovery process and specify how communication will be handled throughout.
Additionally, regular backups will prove essential to incident recovery. Regularly review, test, and update backup procedures. Ensure multiple backups, including a copy stored offsite, and automate the process.
Fortify Multilayer Defenses
Effective breach protection involves multiple layers combining various strategies.
Network security
Fortify the network with a combination of updated firewalls, intrusion detection systems, network segmentation, and other security measures. But firewalls and antivirus, while critical, will not provide sufficient protection on their own. Add in additional layers such as web filtering and proactive threat hunting to further protect sensitive data and systems.
Endpoint security
In addition to securing the network itself, take steps to secure the devices that connect to the network. These include laptops and PCs, tablets, smartphones, and IoT devices. Many of these devices either contain PHI or provide a potential doorway to cyber attack.
Endpoint security includes a range of elements, from antivirus to encryption, detection of anomalies, and event monitoring. For mobile devices, also enforce strong passwords and remote wipe capabilities.
Robust encryption
Encrypt PHI both at rest and in transit using updated encryption protocols. This adds an extra layer of insurance so that even if bad actors intercept data, they cannot read it. And tying encryption to specific data classifications helps to ensure automatic encryption of sensitive data.
Cultivate a Culture of Privacy
Employee training
Human error represents a significant factor in many breaches. Equip your staff with regular training on HIPAA compliance and security best practices. This will help them understand their role in data protection and reduce the risk of accidental breaches. For instance, when transmitting PHI, employees should only use secure, HIPAA-compliant communication channels.
Patient education
In addition to educating employees, empower the patients themselves by educating them about their privacy rights. Also, give them the knowledge they need regarding steps they can take to protect their own personal information.
HIPAA-compliant vendors
HIPAA regulations hold healthcare organizations accountable not only for their own actions in relation to PHI, but also for the actions of third-party vendors with which they work. Carefully vet vendors to determine whether their policies and procedures are in line with HIPAA regulations. Additionally, have them sign a Business Associate Agreement (BAA).
Partner with Security and Compliance Experts to Prevent a HIPAA Breach
Strict privacy laws combined with an increasingly treacherous cyber security landscape result in a complex regulatory environment. But achieving and maintaining compliance does not have to feel like an insurmountable problem. Steer clear of compliance mistakes by partnering with a compliance expert like Messaging Architects.
