While healthcare companies and other organizations that work with patient data are required to comply with HIPAA, HIPAA compliance should be treated as more than just a checkbox. HIPAA can be a guiding light for not just compliance, but also security in an increasingly digital and vulnerable environment. In this blog, we\u2019ll cover the basics of HIPAA, some of the most effective HIPAA-aligned security controls, and how a cloud directory can help with HIPAA IT compliance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Basics of HIPAA <\/h2>\n\n\n\n
HIPAA, which stands for the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, was enacted in 1996 to protect patient information and privacy. In general, U.S. healthcare providers, health plans, and healthcare clearinghouses are required to comply with HIPAA. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
HIPAA in its entirety is fairly vast \u2014 we\u2019ll start with the basics here, and if you\u2019d like to go more in-depth, check out the official HIPAA documentation<\/a> and JumpCloud\u2019s IT Compliance Quickstart Guide<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n HIPAA standards fall under two main categories, or rules: the Privacy Rule and the Security Rule. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The HIPAA Privacy Rule<\/strong> covers patient information protection. More specifically, it governs how protected health information (PHI) is used and shared, and requires patients to have knowledge of and autonomy over their shared PHI. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The HIPAA Security Rule<\/strong> covers the security of electronic <\/em>health information. This is becoming increasingly important as healthcare organizations undergo digital transformation. <\/p>\n\n\n\n To learn more about understanding regulations and developing a compliance plan, check out the <\/em>official documentation<\/em><\/a> and the <\/em>IT Compliance Quickstart Guide<\/em><\/a>. <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n HIPAA Security Rule is broken down into three areas of focus. Most of an IT admin\u2019s concern with IT compliance will be focused here. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Learn more about these three areas of focus in our blog: <\/em>The Three Components of the HIPAA Security Rule<\/em><\/a>. <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Like many compliance regulations, HIPAA does not define solutions or specific approaches, but instead focus on outcomes. It\u2019s up to each organization to translate this guidance into action. While HIPAA compliance may look different from organization to organization, the following are common controls that significantly bolster a company\u2019s ability to achieve HIPAA compliance in a digital\/cloud environment. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Identity and access management (IAM)<\/a> is one of the most critical solutions to HIPAA IT compliance. This is because much of HIPAA hinges on secure and controlled access to PHI. In digital environments, the most reliable way to securely assign and manage appropriate access to resources is through the identity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This is because identity has replaced the idea of a physical perimeter. A central, physical network or perimeter is no longer the access point for most resources; instead, access happens at the identity-level: users authenticate themselves (e.g., by inputting credentials) to access resources. As access points shift from the perimeter to the identity, security must follow suit. <\/p>\n\n\n\n This identity-centric approach forms the foundation of Zero Trust security<\/a>. Thus, IAM is one of the pillars of Zero Trust security \u2014 and it\u2019s commonly the first ones that organizations implement when adopting a Zero Trust security model. This is because IAM forms the core of identity-centric security, and it forms a strong foundation for securing other elements in the organization, like devices, networks, workloads, and more. <\/p>\n\n\n\n In terms of HIPAA, IAM enables you to control users\u2019 access to different resources, enabling you to restrict PHI to only those allowed to access it in accordance with the regulation. This access can be automatically granted or denied based on a user\u2019s permissions, and some IAM tools can be highly customized to the organization\u2019s unique needs. Admins can use user groups, conditional access policies, automatic provisioning<\/a>, and other features to further secure and streamline their IAM processes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n From employee laptops to patient check-in tablets, the devices in the average healthcare organization are diversifying. While identities are the main access point for organizational resources, the devices people use to access PHI can have a significant impact on security and HIPAA compliance. For example, a user may access PHI through their trusted identity, but if they do so from a compromised device, the PHI could still be at risk. Thus, it\u2019s critical for HIPAA-bound organizations to control the devices accessing their resources \u2014 especially PHI. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Effective device management must center around access: which devices are accessing organizational data? This stands in contrast to outdated models that only protected company owned and issued devices: organizations can no longer trust that devices are safe by only<\/em> focusing on the ones they own. Healthcare organizations should have a mobile device manager (MDM)<\/a> that can handle all<\/em> the devices accessing organizational data \u2014 not just those owned by the organization. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Some solutions take MDM a step further by combining it with identity management. This unified approach provides additional context to access security, which gives organizations more control over their HIPAA compliance. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Because secure access is such a critical element of security and HIPAA compliance, multi-factor authentication (MFA)<\/a> is a highly effective HIPAA control. It dramatically increases access security by requiring a second factor in addition to the traditional username and password, like a time-based one-time password (TOTP), push notification, or biometric. <\/p>\n\n\n\n MFA is easy to implement and manage, and with the right tools, it can also be highly cost-effective. JumpCloud, for example, offers it at no additional cost with any plan (including JumpCloud Free<\/a>).<\/p>\n\n\n\n MFA can help you comply with many other regulations in addition to HIPAA. Some frameworks, like SOC 2<\/a>, require MFA explicitly. Others require a means of secure authentication without specifying the how; MFA is one of the quickest and easiest ways to fulfill this requirement. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Single sign-on (SSO)<\/a> is another highly effective and easy-to-implement control that plays a large role in HIPAA compliance and healthcare security. SSO helps maintain a strict structure of one identity per user, which is critical to identity security. <\/p>\n\n\n\n In addition, SSO secures digital environments and promotes HIPAA compliance by:<\/p>\n\n\n\n HIPAA Security Rule \u00a7164.312(a)(2)(iv)<\/a> states that organizations must \u201cimplement a mechanism to encrypt and decrypt electronic protected health information.\u201d Enforcing full disk encryption (FDE)<\/a> across laptops and other systems is highly impactful for HIPAA compliance. With FDE, a computer\u2019s hard drive is locked down when that computer is at rest, making it virtually inaccessible in case of theft. <\/p>\n\n\n\n To enable FDE, you\u2019ll need a tool that can do so for all systems; many tools on the market offer FDE for only one OS. In addition, look for a tool that can securely escrow recovery keys<\/a> (ideally individual recovery keys for increased security). If a user forgets their password or it expires, the recovery key will allow you to decrypt the drive. <\/p>\n\n\n\n JumpCloud policies allow IT admins to implement an FDE policy, which is capable of enabling FileVault<\/a> and\/or Bitlocker<\/a> in just a few clicks. It can also escrow recovery keys. Learn more about JumpCloud FDE.<\/a> <\/p>\n\n\n\n Cloud directories<\/a> can synthesize the controls above to offer one unified platform where you can control your entire IT environment. The right cloud directory should provide you the robust telemetry and manipulable controls you need to closely manage your security and HIPAA compliance. <\/p>\n\n\n\n JumpCloud\u2019s cloud directory platform,<\/a> for example, offers robust and user-friendly control over IT resource access through unified identity and device management. It maintains one secure identity per user, and connects that identity securely to all the devices and tools each employee needs to work. In doing so, it maintains the same permissions and policies for each user identity, regardless of how they work or which resources they access. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Further, JumpCloud offers MFA, SSO, FDE, and OS-agnostic MDM capabilities, allowing you to implement some of the most important elements of HIPAA compliance, all with one platform. And as an open directory platform, JumpCloud allows you to work the way that works best for your organization (without hurting your security or compliance). It can act as your identity provider, for example, or work with the one you already have, so you don\u2019t have to rip and replace to start reaping its benefits. Learn more about how JumpCloud supports IT compliance.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n \n The IT Manager\u2019s Guide to Data Compliance Hygiene <\/p>\n \n How to ace your audit <\/p>\n <\/div>\n Compliance may not be fun, but it doesn\u2019t have to be a headache, either. JumpCloud\u2019s IT Compliance Quickstart Guide<\/a> was designed to help IT admins navigate compliance with HIPAA and many other regulations. It even offers a free hands-on demo that helps you implement some of these critical IT compliance controls in your own environment. Get started with the IT Compliance Quickstart Guide now.<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Learn the basics of HIPAA, some of the most effective HIPAA-aligned security controls, and how a cloud directory can help with HIPAA IT compliance.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":144,"featured_media":51768,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_oasis_is_in_workflow":0,"_oasis_original":0,"_oasis_task_priority":"","inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[2968,2967],"collection":[2775],"platform":[],"funnel_stage":[3016],"coauthors":[2532],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n\n
Helpful Controls for HIPAA IT Compliance <\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Identity and Access Management<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Device Management<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Multi-Factor Authentication<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Single Sign-On<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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Full Disk Encryption<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
HIPAA Compliance with a Cloud Directory <\/h2>\n\n\n\n
![\"JumpCloud\"](\"https:\/\/jumpcloud.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/image-1-1-aspect-ratio-160-110-1.png\")
\n <\/div>\n Making IT Compliance Painless<\/h2>\n\n\n\n