Compliance vs. Information Security

Compliance vs Information Security

Compliance helps to ensure information security and vice versa. While many facets of compliance and information security overlap, there are differences. Part of being compliant also requires organizations to implement information security measures to ensure the confidentiality, availability, and integrity of protected health information. So compliance and information security go hand-in-hand.

Where Do Compliance and Information Security Intersect?

Information security focuses on implementing effective technical controls to protect an organization’s sensitive data. While related to information security, compliance focuses on implementing technical controls that specifically meet regulatory requirements – such as HIPAA.

This is where compliance and information security intersect. Many compliance security requirements can be met by implementing technical controls. What technical controls are appropriate for your organization’s information security is determined by what compliance laws regulate your organization. 

For organizations subject to HIPAA – any business that has the potential to access protected health information (PHI) – the technical controls you implement must adequately secure PHI per HIPAA compliance standards.

What Does HIPAA Say About Information Security?

A significant aspect of HIPAA compliance is keeping PHI private and secure. The HIPAA Security Rule mandates explicitly that organizations implement safeguards to ensure the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of PHI.

To implement adequate safeguards, you must first conduct a security risk assessment (SRA). SRAs identify weaknesses and vulnerabilities to your PHI so that you may address these deficiencies with HIPAA safeguards.

HIPAA categorizes safeguards into three categories administrative, physical, and technical. Administrative safeguards include provisions such as written HIPAA policies and procedures. Policies and procedures provide guidance on how to keep PHI private and secure. Physical safeguards include provisions to secure your physical location, such as locks, alarm systems, and security cameras. While administrative and physical safeguards are essential to ensuring information security, one of the most overlooked aspects of information security is implementing technical safeguards.

Technical safeguards include:

  • Access Controls: HIPAA requires that PHI access is limited to only what is necessary. Access controls must be implemented to ensure limited PHI access. To implement access controls, each employee must be provided with unique login credentials so that administrators can establish different PHI access levels based on an employee’s job function.
  • Audit Controls: to ensure that PHI is appropriately accessed (by only authorized parties and not excessively) audit controls must be established. Audit controls track access to PHI based on employee’s login credentials. 
  • Integrity Controls: to ensure that ePHI has not been and will not be improperly altered or destroyed, it is essential to implement policies and procedures regarding the proper handling of the data.
  • Transmission Security: technical security measures that guard against unauthorized access to ePHI that is transmitted over an electronic network must be established.

Implementing Information Security Practices

While implementing information security practices seems pretty straightforward, when it comes to implementing them in compliance with HIPAA standards, it can be more complex. Why? Regarding cybersecurity, HIPAA regulation leaves best practices largely up to interpretation.

Organizations are supposed to implement security practices that are “reasonably appropriate” for their organization, but what does that mean? Basically, depending on what type of organization you are, what is “reasonably appropriate” to implement differs.

This is why it is best to consult a compliance expert to determine what your organization needs to implement and a security expert for help implementing these recommendations. Compliancy Group enables healthcare organizations to implement an effective HIPAA compliance program under the law, including SRAs to identify your security deficiencies and security policies and procedures to provide guidance on what security measures are appropriate for your organization.

We also partner with MSSPs across the country to help you implement the security measures necessary to keep your information secure.

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