When it comes to managing, storing, and securing health-related files, clouding computing is a critical component. It guarantees the safety and accessibility of health-related information that it stores. As a result, 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 among their workers. 

But can cloud guarantees ultimately manage, access, and transfer sensitive personal and medical information with secure linkage? As a matter of fact, ensuring that patients’ medical information remain undisclosed is not just part of ethical standard that health employees must uphold, it’s a principle with legal backups. Otherwise any health employee sharing patient medical record may 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 patent medical records. Enshrined in it is the information guiding when, how, and who may have access medical information. It also sets the standard for patient health information history access from unauthorized people.  

So, back to the question, what is HIPAA? Below are a few things to consider when using HIPAA Compliant cloud services: 

• A HIPAA cloud support system must render single sign-on or two-step authentication and ePHI encryption transfer
• Non-HIPAA compliant 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 ePHI storage can’t be done through the cloud

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

The Bottom Line

Using a cloud computing service provider is essential but special consideration must be made to whether or not it guarantees HIPAA compliance. That means every digital service that you’re using on the cloud must be fully vetted to meet HIPAA compliance. Work with a cloud partner like us to help you navigate the challenges of implementing HIPAA compliance for your tech architecture.