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What are HIPAA Compliance Requirements: Creating a HIPAA Compliance Checklist

Author :- TickleLife Editorial Team June 28, 2022, 8:53 a.m.
What are HIPAA Compliance Requirements: Creating a HIPAA Compliance Checklist

If you are sexual well-being professional, planning to create an online presence, you might have heard about HIPAA compliance. If not, don't worry. 

Here, we will walk you through HIPAA compliance requirements and other factors that can help craft a HIPAA compliance checklist.

So, let's not beat around the bush and get started!

(By the way, if you don’t have time to go through the entire article, here is a brief)

What is HIPAA Compliance?

HIPAA is the abbreviation for Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act. The US Department of Health and Human Service states HIPAA compliance is integral for platforms providing treatments, healthcare-related operations, and payments. It is a criterion that facilitates data protection, including health information provided by patients. 

So, if you are a sexologist or any well-being professional, ensure your platform meets HIPAA compliance requirements. 

Since most companies and hospitals are moving forward with computerized operations for maintaining health records, data protection and privacy become inevitable factors. 

Ensure that all your patient's Protected Health Information (PHI) remains secure. It includes their name, date of birth, contact numbers, and medical records. Along with well-being professionals like gynecologists, urologists, sex therapists, sub-contractors, and business associates should also comply with HIPAA requirements. 

Regarding HIPAA compliance, there are four rules to consider, and they are:

  1. HIPAA privacy, which focuses on protecting the PHI, including prescriptions
  2. HIPAA security, which is the technical, administrative, and physical factors
  3. HIPAA enforcement, which includes business associated and partners with access to PHI
  4. HIPAA breach notification concerning any unauthorized breaches

These are the rules that come under HIPAA compliance. In simple terms, HIPAA compliance is a security feature that helps protect data.

What are HIPAA Compliant Websites?

If your platform enables PHI transmission, storage, and collection of such data, it is integral to have a HIPAA-compliant website. Through this, you can ensure that all data transferred through your platform is secure from any forms of data breaches. Here, you can rely on HIPAA-compliant web forms and web hosting. They would have HIPAA encryption to enhance internal data privacy.

Regarding web forms, your platform would have the 'contact us form,' where you would be collecting patients' information. Here, your patients might reveal details related to their health conditions.

 While using tools like Google Forms, you might not be in a position to secure this data from breaches as they don't facilitate HIPAA compliance. 

Similar to HIPAA-compliant web forms, HIPAA-compliant web hostings can benefit your platform. Popular platforms like Wix, Go Daddy, WordPress, and Blue Host don't provide HIPAA compliance. 

But, when you opt for HIPAA-compliant web hosting, you can protect your data and healthcare records. It is because they will be present in electronic medical records in the Cloud. If you are wondering if you would require HIPAA-compliant web hosting, the answer is YES if you have a medical portal, online pharmacy, mobile health application, etc.,

What are HIPAA Compliance Requirements?

Here are the HIPAA Compliance Requirements that your platform needs to follow. They are:

  1. If you have had a website for a while, it can be challenging to migrate data and other functionalities to another website. Therefore, it is best to opt for HIPAA-compliant web hosting. Through this, all the data will be secure as there would be SSL certification, and in most cases, you will receive your data via a HIPAA-compliant mailbox.
  2. Yet another HIPAA compliance requirement is ensuring encryption of PHI through a secure file storage system.
  3. Your platform should fulfill other HIPAA-compliant guidelines, including editing PHI data.

Thus, collaborating with a HIPAA-compliant web hosting company can help meet the required safety guidelines. They include providing data encryption, end-to-end encrypted messages, policies for PHI backups, and information restoration with cyber security features preventing malware.

HIPAA Compliance Checklist

Here are the factors to consider while implementing HIPAA compliance on your platform. By creating a HIPAA compliance checklist, you can understand the different elements required for your platform.

  1. There have to be privacy rules in place protecting health information, including name, location, contact details, and other medical records.
  2. Your platform should focus on the HIPAA security code, providing reasonable and appropriate technical, physical, and administrative safety.
  3. Your website will need SSL and encryption certifications.
  4. Your platform will require HIPAA and HITECH compliant hosting to enhance security and avoid data breaches.
  5. You will require a business associate agreement if you have other businesses associated.
  6. You will need onsite and offsite data backups.
  7. Another essential factor to include in your HIPAA compliance checklist is multi-factor authentication for confidentiality.
  8. Your platform will need a managed firewall to offer security, log monitoring, perform device health checks, load balancing, etc.,

These are the main factors to include in your HIPAA compliance checklist.

FAQs

Is It Possible to Create a HIPAA Compliant Website?

Yes, you can create a HIPAA-compliant website with the assistance of a HIPAA-compliant web hosting platform like Tickle.Life. Through this, you can enhance data safety and security as it complies with the HIPAA-compliant checklist. Here, you can gain web forms that will help keep all the contact information or other details collected from your users via your website.

Is SSL HIPAA Compliant?

Secure Sockets Layer, commonly known as SSL, is a certificate that adds encryption to your website, which is a way to improve data protection and confidentiality. Hence, in simple terms, yes, SSL is a factor that is integral for HIPAA compliance.

Are Video Conferencing and Streaming Platforms HIPAA Compliant?

Yes, some video conferencing and streaming platforms are HIPAA compliant. For instance, Zoom is a popular video conferencing platform. But, you can access its HIPAA-compliant feature only by opting for the health care option. Here, you would have to make extra payments to enable this feature. Therefore, if you are a sex educator or well-being professional, it is best to cross-check if the video conferencing or streaming platform complies with the HIPAA compliance requirements.

What are the Tools That are and aren't HIPAA Compliant?

Although there are numerous tools out there, only a few of them are HIPAA compliant. Most popular web hosting and website builders aren't HIPAA compliant, including WordPress, Wix, and Blue Host. Regarding tools that you can use for data collection, most of them don't offer HIPAA compliance.

If you have been using Google Forms to collect patient details, remember that it isn't HIPAA compliant. You could opt for a HIPAA-compliant web form to ensure data safety and security. However, another alternative is to select a HIPAA-compliant web hosting platform like Tickle.Life, where you can get HIPAA-compliant web forms as well.

What is HIPAA Compliant Training?

HIPAA compliant training refers to a method through which you can gain a better understanding of HIPAA compliance. It will help create an awareness of HIPAA compliance, which will benefit you in the long run while working on your website.

Final Thoughts

By the way, if you plan to create an eCommerce site, a telehealth platform, a blog, or a website in the sexual well-being industry, you can connect with us. Our team will assist you in creating a no-code HIPAA-compliant website in a few simple steps. So, why not connect with us today?