Simplifying HITRUST Certification: Protect Your Healthcare Data

At a glance

• The main takeaway: HITRUST Certification is essential for healthcare organizations to protect sensitive data and comply with evolving regulatory requirements.
• Impact on your business: Achieving HITRUST Certification demonstrates a commitment to data security, minimizes the risk of data breaches, and enhances your organization’s reputation.
• Next steps: Aprio can help simplify the HITRUST Certification process with ISO 27001, SOC 2, and more.

Schedule a consultation today to get started.

The full story:

In today’s healthcare environment, the importance of adding a HITRUST Certification to your cybersecurity arsenal cannot be overstated, particularly at a time when the industry grapples with increasingly sophisticated cyber threats. As regulatory requirements evolve, HITRUST helps ensure that healthcare providers and their associates do their part in minimizing the risk of data breaches and associated reputational damage. Investing in a HITRUST Certification serves as a proactive step towards bolstering your organization’s data management practices, while promoting a culture of continuous improvement.

What is HITRUST?

The HITRUST (Health Information Trust Alliance) Common Security Framework (CSF) is a comprehensive approach designed to help organizations manage information risk, improve security measures, and achieve compliance with various governmental and industry standards.

At its core, the HITRUST CSF merges multiple regulatory requirements and best practices from frameworks such as HIPAA, ISO, and NIST, among others. This provides healthcare organizations with a singular, actionable set of guidelines to manage data protection and cybersecurity effectively. The HITRUST CSF provides a highly adaptable and scalable foundation that accommodates the needs of different healthcare organizations, regardless of their size or complexity. Additionally, the HITRUST standard delivers a structured process for assessing, validating, and certifying data security policies and controls, ensuring that outcomes are consistent and measurable.

HITRUST and HIPAA—How Are They Different?

While both the HITRUST CSF and HIPAA standards serve the overarching goal of protecting healthcare information, they differ significantly in scope and application. HIPAA, or the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, primarily establishes the national standards for protecting sensitive patient information and is focused on compliance with privacy and security regulations. However, it lacks the detailed, actionable framework required to implement these regulations effectively.

In contrast, HITRUST provides an extensive, integrated framework that encompasses multiple regulatory standards, including HIPAA. HITRUST provides a practical and comprehensive set of guidelines that not only cover patient data privacy but extend to overall information risk management and security compliance. HITRUST’s approach is more rigorous, offering clear processes for assessing, certifying, and continuously improving an organization’s security protocols.

The HITRUST Certification Process for Healthtech Companies

1. Preparation

Preparing for HITRUST Certification varies based on the certification level and the organization’s maturity. The certification process assesses an organization’s information security program against HITRUST CSF controls. Many organizations engage an external assessor, experienced with the HITRUST CSF, to determine the audit’s type and scope and evaluate existing controls through a readiness assessment. This helps identify and address compliance gaps before the audit.

During this phase, organizations can pinpoint areas where their security program may not align with HITRUST CSF requirements. This prioritization of improvements allows for a review of the resources needed to address any deficiencies or weaknesses.

2. Assessment

At this stage, organizations need to implement or update policies, procedures, and security controls to meet HITRUST CSF standards. This process may include enhancing data protection measures, adopting new security technologies, and providing thorough security training for employees.

The authorized HITRUST assessor will then review your security program, validate the implemented policies, procedures, and controls, and assist in submitting the HITRUST Validated Assessment. They will test controls, review documentation including polices and procedures, interview personnel, and examine penetration testing and vulnerability scanning reports. Based on their findings, the assessor will evaluate control maturity and compliance levels. The final assessment is then submitted to HITRUST for quality assurance review and approval.

3. Quality Assurance

After submitting the validated assessment, HITRUST conducts a quality assurance review and once successfully completed, produces a final certification report.

How Much Does It Cost?

The cost of obtaining and maintaining HITRUST Certification can be substantial for small and mid-sized healthtech companies. To maximize this investment, organizations should carefully plan from preparation to ongoing maintenance and meeting interim requirements. This typically includes annual assessments, continuous security monitoring, and regular updates to policies and procedures. Ongoing maintenance costs can vary, and are inclusive of audit fees to the external assessor and subscription to HITRUST’s MyCSF, but companies should anticipate allocating a significant portion of their annual IT budget to maintain their HITRUST Certification.

When Is the Right Time to Get a HITRUST Certification?

Deciding to pursue HITRUST Certification requires a thorough evaluation of your organization’s needs, market demands, and competitive landscape. Key factors to consider include the organization’s size, the complexity of its information systems, customer expectations, and the assessment’s scope.

Do I Need a HITRUST Certification?

Ask yourself the following questions. If the answer to any of these is yes, you may benefit from a HITRUST certification.

• Do I store PHI or PII on behalf of my clients?
• Am I subject to HIPAA?
• Do I provide services to health insurance companies or am I in the supply chain for health insurance companies?
• Do I have contractual obligations from my clients to obtain HITRUST certification?
• Am I in the healthtech sector and do I view HITRUST certification as a competitive advantage in comparison to my peers?

The bottom line

The HITRUST standard provides a robust, scalable, and comprehensive framework specifically designed to safeguard sensitive healthcare data. HITRUST assessments and certifications demonstrate that your organization is committed to proactive data protection and cybersecurity. Achieving HITRUST certification signals to regulators, customers, and stakeholders that they can trust the robustness of your cybersecurity and data protection program.

Aprio can help you simplify the process of achieving HITRUST Certification by leveraging our deep knowledge in ISO 27001, SOC 2, SOC 2+HITRUST, HIPAA, PCI compliance, and more. Have any questions?

Schedule a consultation today.

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