Healthcare Blocks offers healthcare systems and digital health startups managed cloud hosting and DevOps services. As Healthcare Blocks manages protected health information on behalf of their covered entity clients, they are considered a business associate under HIPAA. Since business associates are required to adhere to HIPAA standards, it is important to determine whether or not the platform is HIPAA compliant. The question of, is Healthcare Blocks HIPAA compliant, is discussed below.
Is Healthcare Blocks HIPAA Compliant: Security Features
To ensure the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of protected health information (PHI), software platforms must have safeguards in place.Â
TLS Encryption. Encryption masks sensitive data, preventing access by unauthorized individuals. Encrypted data is the most secure form of data protection as only users possessing a decryption key can access data. Healthcare Blocks utilizes TLS encryption for its services.
Data Backup. HIPAA requires PHI to be backed up to prevent data loss in the event of a natural disaster or hacking incident. Healthcare Blocks allows users to implement daily automatic data backups. Backed up data is stored in a separate offsite location, and is encrypted. For more information on how to enable data backup in Healthcare Blocks, please click here.
Access Controls. Designating different levels of access to data based on an employee’s job function is a key component of HIPAA compliance (minimum necessary standard). Healthcare Blocks allows administrators to create unique login credentials for each employee, enabling the implementation of access controls.
For more information on using Healthcare Blocks in a HIPAA compliant manner, please click here.
Is Healthcare Blocks HIPAA Compliant: Business Associate Agreement
Even if a software platform has all of the HIPAA required security features in place, if it is unable or unwilling to sign a business associate agreement (BAA), the platform is not HIPAA compliant. A BAA is a legal document that dictates the safeguards business associates are required to have in place, and requires each signing party to be responsible for maintaining their compliance.
Healthcare Blocks is willing to sign a business associate agreement with their clients.
Is Healthcare Blocks HIPAA Compliant?
Is Healthcare Blocks HIPAA compliant? Yes, provided that users configure the platform properly, and they have a signed BAA, Healthcare Blocks is HIPAA compliant.
