Know about HIPAA risk assessment

One of the primary functions of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) is to guarantee security and protect the confidentiality of health information. Covered Entities such as doctor’s offices, hospitals and pharmacies, as well as any third party Business Associates are responsible for compliance with HIPAA guidelines. Risk assessment plays a vital role in compliance and the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has established steps to help Covered Entities apply the HIPAA risk assessment or security rule to their daily business practices.

The purpose of the Security Rule is to evaluate risks, threats and vulnerabilities, and outline policies and procedures that should be implemented to address any issues that could cause a security breach. In order to secure Protected Health Information (PHI) and identify any possible threats, all CoveredEntities are required to implement appropriate security processes. A threat can be intentional or unintentional and must be addressed for a Covered Entity to remain compliant with HIPAA regulations.

Steps have been developed to help Covered Entities maintain security and compliance. The initial step should be identification of any areas needing to be analyzed and to begin collecting data to provide structure for a risk analysis. Once data has been collected, a risk analysis will help document any threats, risks or vulnerabilities, which then allows the Covered Entity to evaluate current security measures to determine the possibility of a security breach. Once current security measures have been examined, it is time to determine the potential impact of any risk and what areas need stronger security measures.

After the completion of the risk analysis, a risk management strategy has to be developed to address any issues found during the investigation. A risk management plan must be created to provide structure through the process of implementing any new or updated security measures. When the risk management plan is in place, the necessary security measures can be employed, along with a plan for continuous evaluation to ensure ongoing security of data.

 All Covered Entities must establish a process for risk analysis and management to guarantee HIPAA compliance. Basic steps have been outlined for the evaluation of any vulnerability, risks or threats, as well as a process to address any problems that could result in a breach or HIPAA non-compliance. By following these basic steps a Covered Entity can manage any risk they may discover and quickly respond to potential threats.

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