HIPAA Compliance Implementation, HIPAA Privacy Rule, Components of the security structure suggested by HIPAA, HIPAA audit programs.
HIPAA, the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of USA is emerging as a defacto Privacy Standard. Until recently, it was considered that the Private legal action for HIPAA violation was not in order. However after years of soft implementation, the HHS has started an aggressive enforcement during the current year. The Public demands that the enforcement of HIPAA has to be made even more aggressive and is actively invoking HIPAA for claiming damages for privacy breach.
More and more Indian Healthcare Software providers are gearing themselves for HIPAA Compliance implementation and audit. Sensing the importance of the protection of Privacy of health data in US, Binary Spectrum has actively adopted a “Need to Know Policy” with respect to protected Health Information. For this purpose it has classified its employees and information with suitable access permission tags. Additionally Binary Spectrum maintains a Compliance Officer to oversee its privacy compliance efforts and a Security Officer to oversee and maintain the security structure built on three categories namely the Administrative safeguards, the physical safeguards and the technical safeguards.
Binary Spectrum has in place a ”Privacy policy” that outlines its measures to comply with the “HIPAA Privacy Rule” which includes:
What information needs to be protected under the “Privacy Rule”
The permitted uses of the protected information
Permitted disclosure of the protected information
Required disclosure of protected information
Required Administrative measure like notices of its privacy practices that describe the way in which Binary may use and disclose protected health information.
What the penalties of violating the Privacy Rule will be.
Binary Spectrum upholds objective of the HIPAA security rule, which in essence ensures that on persons authorized to use information will have access to it and when the need is completed, this information needs to be removed out of the access of whoever had originally been granted the access. In fact Binary Spectrum studiously observes the different components of the security structure suggested by HIPAA.
These components are:
Access Security:
Physical barriers which include employee access, monitoring at the gates, laptop usage, mobile and other data devices usage.
Logical barriers include system access control, document classification and Employee classification for Data Access.
Document Encryption.
Use of Digital Signatures.
Building a security conscious culture through Staff training and policy level integration.
Periodical reviews like HIPAA compliance audits and Risk mitigation.
Documentation.
Binary Spectrum submits itself to HIPAA audit programs on a regular basis and based on the outcomes, new action plans for compliance are drawn up. When required new policies, processes and procedures are developed to ensure greater compliance.
To summarize, Binary Spectrum’s HIPAA compliance began with an “awareness building” of all the stake holders and the implementation of its Privacy and security measures are carried out as Indicated in the Act.
If you are interested in outsourcing software development or would like to find out more about our services and offerings, please get in touch with us. You might want to send us a mail, or simply contact us at info@binaryspectrum.com. A senior member of our customer engagement team will get in touch with you within 24 hours.
