Having a website has become standard for healthcare organizations and service providers. It also makes good business sense. If your website collects and uses patient data, you must satisfy specific HIPAA website requirements. We discuss the importance of maintaining a HIPAA compliant website and provide a checklist of actions to help you meet healthcare security regulations.
Importance of a HIPAA Compliant Website
If your organization’s website collects patient information, you must be familiar with relevant Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) regulations. Complying with these laws ensures your website follows the minimum standards to protect patient privacy and has defenses against data breaches and cyber attacks. Through the Office of Inspector General (OIG), the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) enforces these regulations and imposes penalties for non-compliance.
Your Checklist of HIPAA Website Requirements
To have a HIPAA compliant website, you must be familiar with the HIPAA Privacy Rule, which prohibits unauthorized access to, use of, and sharing of patients’ protected health information (PHI). Also essential is the HIPAA Security Rule, which outlines specific protocols for protecting cyber networks. To follow these and other rules, make sure you can check off each of these legal requirements for healthcare websites:
- Establish company-wide policies and procedures for complying with HIPAA regulations that web-based personnel can apply to website maintenance.
- Ensure your web host is HIPAA compliant and specializes in encrypting medical information, which involves taking sensitive data and making it unreadable using algorithms or software.
- Have website service providers sign a business associate agreement that includes compliance with HIPAA website requirements.
- Ensure that the web host implements secure user authentication and multiple access controls.
- Limit access to PHI via the website and train relevant employees on security rules and best practices.
- Ensure the connection between the forms and the website is encrypted for secure PHI collection through web-based forms (e.g., online scheduling forms, pre-visit health surveys, patient satisfaction questionnaires).
- Encrypt cloud storage to safeguard PHI collection, storage, and transfer.
- Obtain secure sockets layer (SSL) certification to ensure safe PHI transfer across the Internet. Your website’s URL will contain an HTTPS:// instead of an HTTP:// to indicate that your organization has an SSL certificate.
- Regularly back up PHI and other sensitive information. Backups are necessary but must always be accompanied by HIPAA-compliant protections. Otherwise, backing up data provides copies a hacker could transfer from one platform to another.
Compliance Software Can Ensure a HIPAA Compliant Website
To meet the legal requirements for healthcare websites, you need compliance software that helps you protect your patients and your network. Compliancy Group software provides templates to help you craft organization-wide policies for secure practices. It also equips your staff with complete HIPAA training, including modules on the proper transfer and use of PHI. With Compliancy Group, you’ll have the tools and support to establish and maintain the most secure corporate website.
At Compliancy Group, we can help you develop a HIPAA compliant website that safeguards patient information and protects you from legal consequences often resulting from data breaches. Contact us today to see how our compliance software helps you meet critical HIPAA website requirements and other healthcare regulations.
