When it comes to managing, storing and securing health-related files, clouding computing is a critical factor. This reliable internet system guarantees the safety and accessibility of health-related information that are recorded in it. 

This means that files stored in the cloud are obtainable anywhere from any device and at any time. This is why many healthcare organizations have been embracing it to share critical medical information between their workers. 

But can cloud storage guarantees ultimately manage, access, and transfer sensitive personal and medical information with linkage? 

Ensuring that patients’ medical information remain undisclosed is not just part of ethical standard that health workers must uphold; it’s a principle with legal backup, meaning that any worker who shares patient’s medical record might be prosecuted.

This is why hospital and healthcare organization need to ensure that all records are in compliance. So, we have HIPAA compliance as a major deciding factor. 

What is HIPAA?

It is a body of rules that gives room to disclosures and allowable uses of patents’ medical records. Enshrined in it is the information guiding when, how, and who may have access medical information.

It also set a standard for patients’ health information history from unauthorized people.  

So, back to the question. Below are a few things to know if your Cloud Services have HIPAA Complaint. 

• A HIPAA Cloud support system must render single sign-on or two-step authentication and ePHI encryption transfer. 
• Non-HIPAA Complaint Services don’t offer a BAA covered for entities. Some Cloud Services like iCloud and Apple fall into this category.
• They don’t provide essential integrated security services, e.g., data classification That’s why they can’t be used for ePHI storage.

Cloud computing services that support HIPAA include Box Enterprise and Elite, G Suite and Google Drive, Dropbox Business, and Microsoft OneDrive and E5. However, not all cloud services are automatically HIPAA compliant. For example, AWS released the whitepaper titled Architecting for HIPAA Security and Compliance on Amazon Web Services that goes into detail about specific services which are HIPAA compliant and how to use the different Amazon resources to build a truly HIPAA compliant architecture.

Key Takeaway

Using a cloud computing service provider is essential but special consideration should be made to whether or not it guarantees compliant cloud storage. That means that all features of HIPAA services provided above must be thoroughly checked. Work with a cloud partner like Uplancer to help you navigate the challenges of implementing HIPAA compliance for your architecture.