The health care industry is highly regulated, and it’s up to you to ensure that your organization is compliant with HIPAA guidelines. Your IT services are a large aspect of the business that will need to be secure and closely monitored for compliance. The telecommunications team at OhmComm, Inc. in Philadelphia, PA, offer these hosting services. To help you feel more comfortable about your own IT needs, they answer a few of the most common questions about HIPAA compliant solutions.

A Guide to HIPAA Compliant IT Services

Does HIPAA Hosting Ensure Compliance?

While HIPAA hosting is essential to being compliant, it is not the only consideration. HIPAA guidelines do have a technical aspect that is covered by secure hosting, but most of your compliance will come from your organizational procedures. For example, your employees will be responsible for their own handling and discussion of the sensitive information, and you’ll need to have procedures in place for it.

What Is HIPAA Compliancy in IT Service?

You are responsible for the sensitive information, such as patient data, that is stored and shared in your system. Compliant hosting solutions must meet the HIPAA regulations for security to ensure the data is only viewed and saved by authorized parties. This requires a secure and fully-managed firewall, access control systems within your organization, full encryption, and a threat detection system to identify intrusions as soon as they occur.

Why Is It Important?

HIPAA regulations are extremely strict, and there is no room for error. If your business is found to be non-compliant, you could be fined up to $1.5 million by the Department of Health and Human Services’ Office for Civil Rights. If your data is breached, you could be fully responsible for the cost of damages, which may be much more than the fine itself.

Can I Handle It Myself?

Most businesses choose to outsource their HIPAA compliant hosting to a third party that specializes in the service. The consequences of non-compliance, along with the strict security measures required, make it difficult and unwise to keep your IT services in-house. It is safer and more affordable to pay for a professional and established service.

OhmComm, Inc. makes it easy to get reliable and safe HIPAA compliant IT services for your health care organization. They have served small- and medium-sized companies with computer IT services for over 20 years. You can also get a full bundle of services for your business with them, from wireless internet to phone systems. Learn more on their website or by calling (215) 467-1444 to speak with a customer service representative.