Getting Hip to HIPAA
Technical
MSPs may offer the most value to their customers when it comes to compliance with the technical aspects of ePHI data protection.
- Data transmission-Organizations dealing with ePHI must ensure that any data sent or received is properly encrypted to prevent breaches or “sniffing” of this sensitive information that could compromise its integrity. This includes both the implementation of secure transmission and training staff to ensure they’re using it properly.
- Authentication and access control-Access to ePHI data must be closely safeguarded to both keep it from falling into the wrong hands and to maintain its integrity. Viewing or manipulating any ePHI data by patients or staff must be controlled to ensure only authorized individuals can view, alter or destroy anything. Systems for encrypting and decrypting ePHI should also be put in place and routinely evaluated for their resilience and sufficiency.
- Auditing-Any access, alteration or destruction of ePHI must also be fully documented and auditable back to the individual. Policies should also be in place in the event of an employee violation.
A Big Undertaking, a Bigger Opportunity
The previous overview merely scratches the surface of the full scope and complexity of protecting ePHI and achieving HIPAA compliance. For medical organizations and the firms that support them, it represents a significant undertaking and ongoing commitment to adhere to these regulations and avoid the significant penalties that accompany a lack of compliance.
Although essential to their daily operations, the skills, technical acumen and organizational bandwidth needed to ensure compliance with HIPAA regulations typically isn’t present outside of the largest operations and health systems. Yet every single health care provider, health plan and health care clearinghouse is subject to them, spanning tens of millions of employees across tens of thousands of organizations.
MSPs can therefore offer tremendous value to clients in these industries by not only managing essential technical services but also by partnering with them to become and remain HIPAA compliant. These value-added services represent a huge revenue opportunity for MSPs while also promising a healthy ROI for customers desperate to avoid the steep penalties for failing to comply.
For MSPs looking to leverage HIPAA compliance to grow their customer base in the medical industry and offer additional services to current clients, there are tools that can simplify and scale the compliance process. Kaseya Compliance Manager, for example, includes automation of assessments, risk analysis, network scanning and compliance report generation. Coupled with a consulting-oriented approach to assisting organizations with adopting and following best practices, MSPs can increase their monthly recurring revenue with these offerings while creating long-term customer relationships based on providing these essential services.
Joining Kaseya in 2012, Miguel Lopez brings over 20 years of experience to his role as SVP, Managed Service Providers (MSPs). In this position, he consults daily with MSPs to help them solve their clients’ business problems with technology solutions. Prior to joining Kaseya, Miguel served as the director of consulting services for All Covered, a nationwide technology services company that is a division of Konica Minolta Business Solutions USA Inc. In 2008, All Covered acquired NetCor Technologies, a leading MSP that Miguel founded and managed since 1997. NetCor specialized in serving highly regulated industries such as healthcare, CPAs, law firms and retail companies.
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