Healthcare Data Security Regulations

Protected health information phi can only be shared by secured methods.

Healthcare data security regulations. Data regulations also cover paper records in a similar manner to digital records. There is no doubt that security in the healthcare industry is complex and absolutely necessary to keep critical information safe and private. Hipaa regulations apply to all healthcare providers health plans and. Under the regulations patients must be notified of any unauthorized access or use of their information.

As well as laying down directives to safeguard a company s it systems and its data from cyber attacks regulations put a responsibility on companies to protect themselves from accidental breaches. The uae free zones such as the dubai international financial centre healthcare data protection in the uae healthcare city do have specific data protection regimes in place that are largely modelled on and inspired by the privacy and data protection principles and guidelines contained in the 1995 data protection directive and 1980 oecd. That includes but is not limited to doctor s offices hospitals insurance companies business associates and employers. The health information technology for economic and clinical health hitech act of 2009 empowers the federal department of health and human services hhs to oversee the promotion of health it including quality safety and security as well as the secure information exchange.

Using traditional unsecured email a common way to share phi electronically can put an organization s hipaa compliance in jeopardy. Healthcare organizations and providers must have access to patient data in order to deliver quality care but complying with regulations and requirements for protecting patient health information requires a combination of robust security strategies as well as the appropriate security solutions and sufficient it resources to implement them. Any organization that handles healthcare data. Healthcare data security is an important element of health insurance portability and accountability act rules.

Regulations like hipaa and guidance from the hcic task force provide a great framework and recommendations for establishing best practices for a more secure environment. The hipaa security rule requires covered entities to assess data security controls by conducting a risk assessment and implement a risk management program to address any vulnerabilities that are identified. Pci dss payment card industry data security standard a set of 12 regulations designed to reduce fraud and protect customer credit card information.