HIPAA, the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, sets the standard for ensuring that sensitive patient data remains confidential. If your organization handles protected health information (PHI), it is your responsibility to guarantee that all the required physical, network, and process security measures are in place, and that all HIPAA protocols are being adhered to.

Who is governed by HIPAA?

Covered entities include anyone who provides treatment, payment and operations in healthcare, as well as any of their business associates who may have access to patient information.

What must my network hosting include to be HIPAA compliant?  There are administrative, physical and technical safeguards which must be in place to ensure HIPAA compliant data center.

  • Administrative safeguards ensure that tracking reports and logs are kept to monitor activity on both hardware and software.
  • Physical safeguards include controlling access to the facility, creating policies to determine proper use and access to workstations and electronic media, and the transferring, removing, disposing and re-using of electronic media.
  • Technical safeguards require access control such as unique user IDs, firewalls, and encryption and decryption of protected health information. Technical safeguards encompass all methods of transmitting data, whether it be email, Internet, or even a private cloud.

What is Network Monitoring?

Network monitoring is the systematic effort of consistently tracking the health and reliability of your overall network. Monitoring allows your organization to keep track of data transmission rate (throughput), error rates, downtime/uptime, use-time percentages, and request response time. Network monitoring is generally carried out through software applications and tools, and is broadly utilized to determine whether a given server is functioning and connected properly to networks worldwide.

How does Network Monitoring affect HIPAA compliance?

HIPAA requires that a patient’s health information is protected from any unauthorized use or access. Those working with sensitive patient data must establish a security management process to protect said data from attempted unauthorized access, use, disclosure, or interference. IT security administrators are therefore mandated to collect and analyze log data across the network and extract meaningful information on data access in the form of reports. These reports will be important should a breach occur, showing both where the vulnerability was, and the extent to which the breach affected data.

What specifically does HIPAA mandate regarding network monitoring? HIPAA requires:

  • Monitoring of all access to confidential patient health information
  • Monitoring of user access to the system, and records to refer to in case of abuse.
  • Review of information system activity records (such as audit logs).
  • How can I put network monitoring in place?

Network monitoring software is routinely reviewed, and industry lists of the best products are available to you. There are many products which will also automatically generate the reports and records which your healthcare organization will need to remain HIPAA compliant.

You may wish to consider hiring a Sarasota managed services provider.

These teams of IT professionals are a fantastic resource when looking to put in place a strong and secure network. From the latest in software options, to the best firewalls and most up to date hardware, a professional team can keep you at the top of your compliance game. HIPAA compliance is serious business – and outsourcing your network management to an IT management firm is a smart move to protect yourself.

Alliance IT is proud to assist Sarasota area businesses with all of their network security and network monitoring needs. Call us today for advice, or to learn more about how we can work with you to ensure HIPAA compliance across your network.