Steps to Become HIPAA Compliant

If you work for a healthcare organization or are in a position where you handle private medical records, it is absolutely crucial to become HIPAA compliant. HIPAA, which stands for Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, is a mandate of security and privacy guidelines that all professionals must follow when working with sensitive health files. Failure to do so can result in penalties as severe as criminal charges. To avoid this risk, follow these steps to ensure complete compliancy:

  1. Implement Technical Security

First and foremost, companies need to secure the devices that house private medical information. In order to do so, you must install various access controls, audit controls, integrity controls, authentication and encryption. These measures will protect against security breaches.

  1. Update Anti-Virus Software

In addition to the required technical safeguards, be sure to install anti-virus and anti-phishing software on all devices. Such software requires frequent updates and upgrades to stay one step ahead of cybercriminals. Always perform these updates and upgrades regularly to add an extra layer of defense against hackers.

  1. Educate Employees

Security measures are only as strong as a company’s staff. Host an extensive training session so that all employees are up to speed on HIPAA protocol, and continue to offer periodic refresher courses. It is especially important to hire qualified security professionals to monitor all HIPAA-related activity.

  1. Test Internal Policies Quarterly

Every few months, go through all company security measures to search for vulnerabilities and ensure all systems are up to date. Review the results of each examination to determine what is working and what needs to be changed.

  1. Let ICC Help You

HIPAA compliancy is serious business. Becoming compliant requires fastidious attention to detail and expert knowledge on the subject. ICC specializes in HIPAA compliancy and can set up technical systems to help mitigate risks.

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Whether you’re a doctor, dentist, pharmacist, healthcare provider or business that works with these industries, HIPAA compliancy is a must. Call us at 970-419-0602 today.

August 16, 2016

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