Technology

#5 Ways to Manage Your HIPAA Compliant Website

5 Ways to Manage Your HIPAA Compliant Website

HIPAA-compliant websites are a must-have for any health service provider, be it a hospital, private doctor’s office, pharmacy, or anything in between. But maintaining and updating these websites can be burdensome. They require constant upkeep to ensure that the information on the site is accurate and up to date with the latest regulations.

HIPAA refers to the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, a federal law that sets forth security standards and compliance guidelines for electronic health care transmissions. The major aim of this law is to protect patient medical records from unauthorized access.

It is not always necessary for a health service provider to maintain and update the contents of their website, as you can easily obtain the content from the source. However, when a particular website content changes, you must update it with the latest regulations. Here are ways to manage a HIPAA-compliant website.

1. Use HIPAA Compliant Web Hosting

If you are running a HIPAA-compliant website, the hosting company you work with must comply with HIPAA regulations. The type of web hosting your website is hosted on is crucial, as it can directly and significantly impact your privacy and your health service provider’s integrity. This is why it is important to work with a reputable web hosting provider that will assist you in updating and maintaining the content of your website.

For instance, a HIPAA-compliant hosting provider will not allow unexpected site visitors to access your files or transmit patient information without permission. They will also inform you about any issues or vulnerabilities with your website.

2. Use a HIPAA Compliant Content Management System

A content management system (CMS) is the heart of the HIPAA-compliant website and provides a platform for storing and managing all the content. Since the content management system is the conduit for managing website content and protecting patient privacy, all sites using this platform must comply with HIPAA regulations.

The CMS also needs to be managed and updated regularly to ensure that only updated information is stored in case of a breach or error. Therefore, each site needs access to at least monthly patches and updates to ensure the website remains secure.

3. Ensure the Site Has an SSL Certificate

An SSL certificate protects the website address by encrypting all of the transmitted content over the web. This will prevent unauthorized parties from reading or decrypting your content as it is transferred over the internet.

Encrypting or scrambling this type of data provides you with privacy and prevents information tampering and attacks from malicious hackers. In addition, an SSL certificate verifies that you are who you claim to be, adding an extra layer of security and trustworthiness to your site.

4. Secure and Encrypt the Web Forms

Every web form on your website is like a gateway to your private health information. Therefore, the form itself must be HIPAA-compliant. It is imperative to ensure that all data, including personal information and sensitive medical details, is protected using encryption.

Even if the data is secure, it could still be possible for an unauthorized party to make changes to the form without your knowledge. This can occur when a hacker gains access to your server’s database or if a typo causes a form submission made by an unauthorized user.

5. Restrict PHI Access

A patient’s health information is confidential and cannot be accessed by third parties. However, there may be situations where a third party needs to access your website for some reason or another. This may include a contractor or a guardian responsible for another person’s health management.

In such situations, you will need to restrict access to patient information only to people who require it for business reasons. For example, they could be assisting in executing a medical bill or claim.

Conclusion

The HIPAA-compliant website is a key tool in ensuring that the privacy of your patients is protected and maintained. So, ensure that your site uses a secure content management system and does not store any private health information on your server.

Enable HTTPS on your website, and restrict patient information access to only those who require it. Using these five tactics can help you manage a HIPAA-compliant website and ensure that your patient’s information is protected.

by Hannah Boothe

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