HIPAA and SOC 2: How They Work Together / How Managed IT Can Help

Healthcare providers and service organizations that have to consider  HIPAA and SOC 2 compliance are often challenged with juggling massive  amounts of data while trying to run their business and stay compliant.  While HIPAA and SOC 2 audits can help ensure compliance, these  organizations may not know where to start.

Read on as we take a closer look at HIPAA and SOC 2 audits to share how  they can work together and why working with managed IT services can  help.

Before we get into the details about how HIPAA and SOC 2 work  together, let’s take a quick look at what each of these types of audits  entails.

HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act) was  designed to protect the medical privacy of patients. Healthcare  providers are responsible for maintaining the security of health-related  information protected through HIPAA. This means that they must have  processes and procedures in place to protect patient data and their  related health information. The purpose of a HIPAA audit is to determine  if the healthcare provider meets all of the requirements for  maintaining HIPAA compliance.

SOC (System and Organization Controls) was designed to ensure service  organizations are protecting their client’s data. SOC 2 focuses on a  service organization’s security, availability, processing integrity,  confidentiality, and/or privacy controls, based on their compliance with  the AICPA’s (American Institute of Certified Public Accountants) TSC  (Trust Services Criteria). The purpose of a SOC 2 audit procedure is to  ensure that service providers securely manage their client data.

In this section, we will provide some examples of how HIPAA and SOC 2  impact specific organizations and explain how they can work together.

While HIPAA and SOC 2 are separate types of compliance, they are both  important for specific organizations. In accordance with HIPAA,  healthcare providers have to follow protocols in a number of areas to be  considered HIPAA compliant. For example, it is important for healthcare  providers to comply with federal law when they transmit patient data  via email. This means their email must be HIPAA compliant. While SOC 2  compliance isn’t a requirement, it is important for service companies –  such as a SaaS organization. SOC 2 audits can be extremely important for  them because clients that work with them trust them to protect their  privacy.

How do HIPAA and SOC 2 work together for organizations that serve  clients that intersect these two compliance areas? A SaaS organization  that serves the healthcare industry can benefit from a combined HIPAA  and SOC 2 audit because compliance is required for both areas. A  combined audit ensures that data is secure for both the service  organization and its healthcare industry clients. A combined audit gives  service organizations the reputation they need as they work with these  types of clients. When healthcare organizations partner with SaaS  providers, compliance is a minimal requirement.

Partnering with an MSP (managed service provider) can improve  handling HIPAA and SOC 2 compliance. MSPs help simplify compliance by  offering several ways to assess an organization’s current security  strategy and recommend ways to strengthen its entire IT infrastructure.

MSPs also help to fill any gaps with in-house IT staff. In general,  in-house IT teams are juggling many tasks that make it challenging for  them to keep up with the demands of business cybersecurity – let alone  keeping track of all of the complexities of HIPAA and SOC 2 compliance.  MSPs are security experts, who can be an excellent supplement to  in-house IT teams. Not only does it keep them from having to worry about  safeguards for maintaining HIPAA and SOC 2 compliance, but an MSP also  delivers a proactive approach to compliance. Their expertise often helps  ensure that their clients do not fall behind in their security  technologies.

While you can leverage your MSP to maintain regulatory HIPAA  compliance and SOC 2 compliance, you can also work with them to do so  much more. Managed IT solutions give your organization peace of mind by  managing a number of areas that supplement your IT needs. They can  support IT staff as project managers and help with build-outs and  maintenance for your endpoints (e.g., desktops, laptops, and servers).  Not only does this help take the weight off your internal IT support,  but it also allows them to take a deeper dive into your IT  infrastructure – making them more of an asset for recommending how you  can keep your important data secure.

When it comes to HIPAA and SOC 2 compliance, conducting auditing  through working with an MSP can be an essential best practice.  Healthcare providers, SaaS companies and any other organizations that  have these types of regulatory considerations for their data need to  stay abreast of the rules and regulations for maintaining compliance.  With so many priorities for these types of businesses, an MSP is best  equipped to take the lead in managing this area.