HIPAA Risk Assessment and Cybersecurity Compliance
HIPAA Risk Assessment and Compliance
The HIPAA Security Rule requires covered entities and business associates to identify risks to electronic protected health information and implement safeguards that are reasonable and appropriate.
HALOCK HIPAA risk assessment services help organizations identify what can go wrong, determine how significant the risk may be, evaluate existing safeguards, and prioritize action.
The objective is not simply to complete a compliance exercise. A well-designed HIPAA risk assessment gives management evidence of where security investment is needed and why the resulting safeguards are appropriate.
Reasonable Security
Why HIPAA Compliance Matters
A HIPAA security risk assessment evaluates the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of protected health information across systems, people, processes, facilities, and technology. Get confidence in your level of risk exposure today.
HALOCK evaluates:
- threats and vulnerabilities;
- potential impact to PHI;
- likelihood of harmful events;
- existing safeguards;
- residual risk;
- treatment priorities.
The assessment helps organizations identify the risks that matter most and establish a clear basis for security decisions. Our HIPAA risk assessment methodology conforms to ISO 27005 and NIST 800-30, ensuring that the HIPAA requirements for risk assessments are fully met.
Addressing and Treating the Problems
Identifying risk does not reduce it. HALOCK helps organizations determine which findings require additional safeguards and develop treatment plans around the most important risks.
Treatment decisions consider the risk reduced, the business impact of the safeguard, available resources, and HIPAA's requirement for reasonable and appropriate security. The result is a prioritized roadmap rather than an undifferentiated list of control gaps.
Managing the Risk
HIPAA security compliance is not a point-in-time achievement, but rather a duty of care process that operates over time. To achieve ongoing due care, HIPAA risk management that aligns with industry standards ISO 27001 and NIST 800-30, is applied. This involves monitoring and correcting security controls so they remain effective at reducing risk.
HIPAA compliance is not a point-in-time event. Risks and safeguards must be monitored as technology, threats, operations, and business practices change. HALOCK helps establish risk ownership, treatment tracking, measurement, reassessment, and reporting so organizations can demonstrate that controls remain effective. DoCRA can provide additional structure for evaluating whether safeguards are proportionate to the risks they reduce.
HALOCK Risk Management Services
HALOCK’s comprehensive Risk Management Program helps you continually manage evolving risks, and aligns with recognized risk practices including NIST 800-30 and ISO 27005 while applying HALOCK’s risk-based approach.
Ongoing compliance management helps organizations:
- identify where PHI and related systems create exposure as infrastructure changes;
- prioritize risks based on likelihood and impact and work to remediate over time;
- determine whether safeguards are reasonable and appropriate;
- document risk decisions;
- establish treatment priorities;
- support comprehensive ongoing HIPAA compliance.
This creates a repeatable HIPAA security risk assessment process rather than a one-time checklist.
HIPAA Compliance FAQs
Who needs a HIPAA risk assessment?
Covered entities and business associates that handle electronic protected health information need to evaluate risks to that information as part of HIPAA Security Rule compliance.
Is a HIPAA risk assessment a one-time requirement?
No. Risk should be reassessed when material changes occur and often enough to keep the organization’s understanding of threats, vulnerabilities, and safeguards current.
What does HALOCK assess?
HALOCK evaluates systems, information, people, facilities, processes, threats, vulnerabilities, safeguards, and potential impacts affecting PHI.
Does a risk assessment automatically create HIPAA compliance?
No. The assessment identifies risk and treatment needs. Organizations must also implement and maintain appropriate safeguards and other applicable HIPAA requirements.
Are there any new HIPAA requirements we should be aware of?
Keep up to date as the rules change at HHS.gov. Learn more details in this HIPAA article.
Where can I find a guide to HIPAA Acronyms?
Check out our glossary of HIPAA and healthcare acronyms.
What are the top threats facing the healthcare industry?
Threats are always evolving. Here are some of the Top Cyber Threats in Healthcare
