Healthcare organizations can simplify privacy, security, documentation and continuous compliance effort through the selection of HIPAA compliance software. However, all platforms are not created equal when it comes to protections and features.
The best solution will enable your organization to detect risks, track controls, manage vendors, document policies and prepare for audits. Evaluate options and make a decision with the aid of this checklist.
What Should a HIPAA Compliance Software Checklist Include?
A useful HIPAA compliance software checklist should cover the major areas involved in protecting electronic protected health information and managing compliance responsibilities.
Look for features such as:
- Risk assessments and risk tracking
- Policy and document management
- Employee training and acknowledgments
- Access and permission monitoring
- Incident tracking and reporting
- Vendor risk management
- Audit preparation and evidence collection
- Ongoing compliance monitoring
- Automated reminders and workflows
The software should not be used to create documents, but to make use of your organization’s compliance program. The HIPAA compliance software requirements will vary depending on your organization, systems, employees and the type of health-related information that you process.
Does HIPAA Compliance Software Need HIPAA Certification?
Beware of the word HIPAA certification. There isn’t one definitive HIPAA certification that ensures software is compliant. Training, assessment or third-party evaluation may be provided by a vendor, but this does not automatically mean compliance with HIPAA.
Rather, consider its ability to meet the requirements of the HIPAA Security Rule, privacy, risk management, access controls, audit controls and any other relevant HIPAA safeguards.
Your organization is still on the hook to know and comply with its own HIPAA requirements.
What HIPAA Safeguards Should the Software Support?
The typical HIPAA safeguards include administrative, physical, and technical. These controls should be documented and managed by your software, not as a one time process of meeting compliance.
Helpful HIPAA compliance tools include risk assessments, security policies, workforce training, incident management, access reviews and evidence collection.
Find HIPAA compliance automation that actually saves time, including automated reminders, periodic testing, task assignment and compliance reporting. Automation should be used in conjunction with human supervision, not to replace it.
Does It Support Vendor Risk Management and Compliance Monitoring?
Healthcare organizations may use third party vendors who have access to or access protected health information. Effective vendor risk management capabilities enable you to manage vendors, contracts, vendor evaluations, security documentation and review dates.
Continuous compliance monitoring is also needed to ensure that requirements or risks may change. A platform with dashboards, alerts, assigned tasks and evidence tracking can help to identify gaps before an audit or security incident occurs.
Can It Help With a Compliance Audit?
When evidence is spread across spreadsheets, emails and systems, it can be a challenge to conduct a compliance audit. The best HIPAA compliance software will streamline the management of policies, risk evaluations, training records, vendor data, corrective measures, and more.
Prior to selecting a platform, determine if you can export reports, and show who did what, when, and why, and provide proof of your controls.
Final HIPAA Software Compliance Checklist
Before selecting a platform, make sure your HIPAA software compliance checklist contains the following:
- Risk assessment management
- Administrative, physical and technical protection
- Policy management
- Employee training
- Incident management
- Vendor risk management
- Compliance monitoring
- Audit evidence
- Automated reminders
- Reporting and dashboards
- Access controls
- Data security
Not everything that has a long list of features is the best solution. Select software that is geared toward your organization’s workflow and that allows compliance to be handled more easily, consistently.
Conclusion
Healthcare organizations can streamline compliance efforts, track threats and vulnerabilities, keep records and prepare for compliance audits with the right HIPAA compliance software. But software is not an organization’s only key to being HIPAA compliant.
Review the platform’s security features, automation, vendor management, monitoring, documentation and audit support before making a decision.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is HIPAA compliance software?
HIPAA compliance software helps organizations manage activities related to HIPAA privacy and security requirements, including risk assessments, policies, training, vendor management, and audit documentation.
What should a HIPAA compliance software checklist include?
A HIPAA compliance software checklist should include risk management, policy tracking, employee training, incident management, vendor oversight, compliance monitoring, and audit evidence.
Is there official HIPAA certification?
There is no single official government-issued HIPAA certification that automatically makes a company or software HIPAA compliant. Organizations must meet the requirements applicable to their operations.
What are HIPAA safeguards?
HIPAA safeguards include administrative, physical, and technical protections designed to help protect electronic protected health information.
What is the HIPAA Security Rule?
The HIPAA Security Rule establishes requirements for protecting electronic protected health information through appropriate administrative, physical, and technical safeguards.
What are HIPAA compliance tools?
HIPAA compliance tools can include software for risk assessments, policy management, employee training, incident tracking, vendor management, and audit preparation.
What is HIPAA compliance automation?
HIPAA compliance automation uses software to automate repetitive tasks such as reminders, assessments, evidence collection, workflows, and compliance reporting.
Why is vendor risk management important?
Vendor risk management helps organizations evaluate and monitor third parties that may access or process sensitive health information and ensure appropriate controls are maintained.
How does compliance monitoring help?
Compliance monitoring helps organizations identify missing controls, overdue tasks, documentation gaps, and other potential issues before they become larger problems.
What are the main HIPAA compliance software requirements?
HIPAA compliance software requirements depend on the organization’s needs, but commonly include risk management, policy controls, security monitoring, training, vendor oversight, documentation, and audit support.