How Healthcare Systems and Vendors are Impacted by Regulations

HIPAA And HITECH Regulations Impact on Implementation of Health Care Systems
Impact of HIPAA And HITECH Regulations on Health Care Systems for The Future with Mention to State and Federal Differences
When the HIPPA act was signed into law many players in the healthcare industry were uncertain of how this would impact their provision of healthcare and obey compliance with HIPPA requirements. HIPPA is mainly focused on the privacy of patient information and guaranteeing its privacy during transmission. Therefore, healthcare systems are required to have encryption in place to ensure that data is not readable if intercepted during transmission. HIPPA regulations only cover the healthcare providers. However, HITECH regulations cover all the entities that deal with healthcare who are referred to as business associates (Weaver, Ball, Kim, & Kiel, 2016). They include any entity that does business with a hospital or doctor. According to HITECH regulations, any business associate must demonstrate their compliance with HIPPA regulation when dealing with a healthcare provider. State laws on health policy are directed by HIPPA while HITECH will direct federal laws. State laws have controlled healthcare privacy far much better than HIPPA regulations, however, not all states have managed to implement privacy laws. Federal laws have not been able to control privacy and it was not possible to prosecute. Future healthcare systems will have to ensure that patient data is encrypted at all levels and not just during transmission. Storage of patient data will also be impacted since all the data has to be encrypted at all times. Healthcare systems will be more secure and privacy of information will be guaranteed across the system.
How the Regulations Will Modify the Implementation and Ongoing Use of Software Systems That Maintain Patient Data
The security of patient information is the main interest for the regulations. Patient information security has been in the news in the past for all the wrong reasons mainly due to carelessness, cyber-attacks, theft, and data breaches by the healthcare workers and third party. The regulations are aimed at ensuring that all software systems being used in a healthcare facility meet the requirements of patient privacy in terms of securing the data during storage and in transmission (Yaraghi & Gopal, 2018). This will improve patient safety and privacy and guarantee that the systems are not easily accessible by hackers and in case of any breaches data that is stolen or accessed cannot be readable. Security of the systems will be beefed up and access to the systems would only be for authorized individuals. There will be access levels that will limit a user’s access to only the records they are authorized to access. The downside to all this is that systems might be more expensive to purchase and most health facilities might opt to use minimal systems in their operations due to the limiting costs. Software and hardware vendors will be impacted since they will need to have systems that meet the requirements of the regulations.
Changes and Impacts to Software and Hardware Vendors
Software and hardware vendors will also be covered in the HITECH regulations. This will mean that they will need to adhere to the new regulations if they want to continue doing business with healthcare facilities. In the past, it was only the healthcare facility that was mandated to ensure that it protects patient privacy and information. However, the new regulations require that they also are held to the same privacy and security standards as those covered by HIPPA regulations. Anyone who interacts with patient information will need to ensure that they comply with the regulations. Therefore, software and hardware vendors will need to familiarize themselves with the regulations in order for them to remain compliant. This might result in them having to change their hardware and software in order for it to meet the regulation requirements. With the requirement to cover the vendors too, there will be a balance between technology and security for the systems being used within a healthcare facility. This is because the vendors will also focus more on the security based on the regulations and not just for overall security purposes.
Clarify the Changes and Impacts to Infrastructure and Organizational Standards
All healthcare systems will be modified in order for them to meet the regulation requirements. Organizations will need to change their behaviors especially in regards to security and privacy of information. HITECH requirements include monthly audits to determine the security of systems and hardware being used. This will put a strain on resources due to the need to ensure compliance at all times. Healthcare facilities will be hard pressed to change their working environment in order to ensure that all the systems meet the regulations. With the fines being imposed, it is vital that changes in infrastructure be undertaken. Software used should be compliant and ensure that security is guaranteed at all times. Prevention of data breaches or theft of information should be a top priority. Routine checks should be conducted to check on the security of the systems and the organization with an aim of addressing the identified loopholes. There should be a response plan in place for how to handle any worst-case scenario that might befall the organization. Best practices for handling any breaches should also be formulated with a timeline for notifying patients of any data breaches (Angst, Block, D'arcy, & Kelley, 2017). The organization should keep abreast with the emerging technological trends. There is need to be aware of the current methodologies that are being used by hackers and attackers in order to ensure that the system is secure at all times. With this information, the organization can prepare and audit its systems to ensure that it is no easily penetrable.
References
Angst, C. M., Block, E. S., D'arcy, J., & Kelley, K. (2017). When do IT security investments matter? Accounting for the influence of institutional factors in the context of healthcare data breaches. MIS Quarterly, 41(3), 893-916.
Weaver, C. A., Ball, M. J., Kim, G. R., & Kiel, J. M. (2016). Healthcare information management systems. Cham: Springer International Publishing.
Yaraghi, N., & Gopal, R. D. (2018). The Role of HIPAA Omnibus Rules in Reducing the Frequency of Medical Data Breaches: Insights From an Empirical Study. The Milbank Quarterly, 96(1), 144-166.