Essay Example on HIPAA Regulations: Requirements for Handling ePHI Data

According to HIPAA documentation, any corporation or organization which directly executes ePHI is considered to be a covered entity. There, all entities which are covered under HIPAA regulations such as health insurance providers, doctors’ offices, and hospitals should readily abide by the rules and guidelines set when handling ePHI. The HIPAA regulation covered both ePHI data in transit and ePHI data at rest (Thompson, 2020). Confidentiality must be maintained by all covered entities as well as upholding factors such as availability and integrity of ePHI being created, received, maintained, or being transmitted. The measures to be taken include identification and protection against reasonable security threats or any issues which may endanger information integrity.

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According to the ePHI inventory collected by the Bright Day Wellness Centre(BDWC), such as mobile devices within the health center, proximity can serve as potential security vulnerability into the system (Gregory, 2020). The security concerns for ePHI are made in a flexible manner allowing HIPAA covered entities to set outlines and guidelines on technology regulations depending on the size and their capabilities (Alsaadi, 2020). The organization should consider implementing better follow-up measures such as updating encryption techniques since attackers can potentially decrypt in information using decipher means.

Some of the feasible actions which should be carried out should include the following measures. The organization should consider setting up plans to carry out regular analysis and identification of potential ePHI threats as well as implementing relevant security measures to mitigate vulnerabilities and reduce potential risks to the appropriate level. Considering technical aspects, the organization should consider using robust devices and secure software which have limited security vulnerabilities. Regular supervision of the workforce team working with ePHI should include a routine activity within the organization.

References

Alsaadi, M. (2020). HIPAA security and privacy rules auditing in extreme programming environments. In Data Analytics in Medicine: Concepts, Methodologies, Tools, and Applications (pp. 1341-1363). IGI Global. https://www.igi-global.com/chapter/hipaa-security-and-privacy-rules-auditing-in-extreme-programming-environments/243170

Gregory, M. (2020). Maturing an Information Technology Privacy Program: Assessment, Improvement, and Change Leadership. In Evaluating Challenges and Opportunities for Healthcare Reform (pp. 125-143). IGI Global. https://www.igi-global.com/chapter/maturing-an-information-technology-privacy-program/250083

Thompson, E. C. (2020). HIPAA Security Rule and Cybersecurity Operations. In Designing a HIPAA-Compliant Security Operations Center (pp. 23-36). Apress, Berkeley, CA. https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-1-4842-5608-4_2