HIPAA and HITECH: Need of the Hour for the Healthcare Industry
Information Technology having entered every industry, most of the data and information are stored and transferred in electronic form. Though the electronic storage and retrieval of data has cut short the manual labor and work-hours involved in the process, safe handling of this electronic data is a challenge faced by the industries. The growing dependence on IT in the health care industry and related enterprises has raised issues of security of the customer-centric personal data, the leakage or disclosure of which might lead to problems beyond the control of the organization.
Safety of electronically stored data is crucial for the healthcare sector as the data they handle are sensitive and pertains to the patients. Further, electronic medical records and other such private data are information that needs to be secure as per the HIPAA compliance regulations. Technological innovations have facilitated the development of security software to ensure safety of the various databases, which are accessible through Internet or the corporate networks.
HIPAA, the Health Insurance Portability and accountability act came into effect in the year 1996, to ensure privacy and security of sensitive medical records and confidential data with the help of administrative, technical, or physical safety methods. This was followed by the HITECH Act in 2009. The Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH) Act was enacted to ensure that electronic health records are well safeguarded.
The need for HIPAA/ HITECH compliance arose to provide the customers improved portability and continuity of health insurance coverage irrespective of the location they move on in a globalized environment. Further, these compliance regulations ensure improved efficiency and standardization with easy interchange and privacy of electronically stored data. The HITECH aspect ensures the organization’s stick to the compliance regulations of HIPAA with strict notifications, penalties and changes in liabilities and responsibilities.
However, for the layman, the HIPAA/HITECH compliance combines IT compliance and healthcare compliance. Being similar in approach towards the problem of security and privacy, the business associates also become accountable for the data breaches and non-compliance. Nevertheless complying with both HIPAA and HITECH is time-consuming and complex process.
The advent of cloud computing technology has made HIPAA and HITECH free from high-tech hardware and software. Leaders in the industry sector have developed unified security monitoring and enterprise compliance management software with encryption protection systems that work towards safeguarding the electronic health records within the policy framework. This cloud –based service with a single and centralized repository for all compliance related evidence has the ability to be customized as per business needs and can be integrated with external business associates and vendor management.
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