HOW TO ENSURE YOUR TECHNOLOGY IS HIPAA COMPLIANT

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As technology continues to advance, it’s critical for HME business owners to evaluate how new tools impact patient privacy and HIPAA compliance. In fact, at the end of 2024, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) proposed update to the HIPAA Security Rule to require healthcare businesses and organizations to implement better cyber security practices and policies to protect patient information.

What does all this mean for HME businesses? Guidelines are now being enforced and your business will receive annual compliance reviews and risks assessments to ensure you are adhering to new data standards. Your organization is now required to:

• Enable multi-factor authentication (MFA)
• Provide end-to-end data encryption
• Perform penetration testing and vulnerability scanning
• Implement 72-hour data restoration
• Document disaster recovery plan

Put simply, having a plan is no longer enough. Your organization needs to be actively implementing stronger security standards to reduce the risk of patient data becoming exposed to cyber criminals. First, we need to examine the most common digital vulnerabilities your business faces.

EVALUATE YOUR THIRD-PARTY PARTNERS AND INTEGRATIONS

There are many tools that help make HME businesses operate more efficiently. But each integration and application introduces the opportunity for data to be compromised. It’s critical to have clear integrations and understand the data flows of any system that touches protected health information. You need to be able to answer questions like:

• Who can access this data?
• Where is this data stored?
• What standards does your organization have for accessing and reviewing data?
• What access does the third-party provider have to your organization’s data?

YOUR EMPLOYEES ARE YOUR FIRST LINE OF DEFENSE

As you implement more programs and applications, it’s critical your employees are trained on how to properly use your programs. Training needs to go beyond the basics of defining the elements of your programs. Your employees need practical training on all your tools and to understand what they do, and the security elements necessary to maintain HIPAA compliance when they use each tool.

CLEARLY DEFINE EMPLOYEE ROLES AND PERMISSIONS

Not every employee needs full access to every program or system your organization utilizes. The most secure healthcare organizations clearly segment which employees have access to which programs. This also needs to be paired with clearly defined roles and responsibilities for each employee within each program. The more you document your policies, the easier it is to identify potential vulnerabilities.

IT’S OKAY TO ASK FOR HELP

Technology is changing so quickly that it’s not realistic to expect HME businesses to stay on top the latest security trends and know how to implement the right solution. It takes a technology partner who understands HIPAA compliance and works in that world every day.

“HIPAA compliance is an ongoing challenge and a key vulnerability we frequently identify among our clients,” said VGM Forbin President Cassi Price. “As cyber threats advance, prioritizing data protection is fundamental to sustaining trust across patient and provider relationships.” At VGM Forbin, we help HME providers understand where they stand today and what improvements may be needed to prepare for evolving HIPAA security requirements.

If you’re not sure where to start when it comes to implementing HIPAA compliance, the technology professionals at VGM Forbin are ready to assist you. Our service offerings include:

• Network documentation and run books
• 24/7 monitoring and support
• Cybersecurity
• Backup and disaster recovery
• Hardware and software management

If you’re ready to take steps to secure your business, VGM Forbin offers a free HIPAA risk assessment to HME businesses. Reach out by visiting https://www.forbin.com/hipaa.