Alert: New HIPAA Rules May Affect Your Organization's Email System

On April 21, 2005, a replacement Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) security rule went into effect. The requirements of this rule, which are basically information security best practices, target the 3 cornerstones of a solid information security infrastructure: confidentiality, integrity and availability of information.
The HIPAA regulatory necessities encompass transmission, storage and discoverability of Protected Health Data (PHI). Given the widespread use and mission-vital nature of email, enforcement of HIPAA encryption policies and also the growing demand for secure email solutions, email security has never been more necessary to the healthcare industry than it's right now.
Though many assume it applies solely to health care providers, HIPAA affects nearly all corporations that frequently transmit or store employee health insurance information. HIPAA was signed into law in 1996 by former President Bill Clinton, with the intent of protecting employee health and insurance information when employees changed or lost their jobs. As Web use became more widespread in the mid-to-late Nineties, HIPAA needs overlapped with the digital revolution and offered direction to organizations desirous to exchange healthcare information.
HIPAA in the Workplace
Collaboration between employers and healthcare professionals has grown increasingly digital, and email has played an ever-increasing role during this communication. But, email's increased importance will lead to severe consequences without correct security and privacy measures implemented.
In addition to the same old considerations about privacy and security of electronic message, even organizations that are not within the healthcare business should currently think about the regulatory compliance needs related to HIPAA. The Administrative Simplification section of HIPAA, that, among other things, mandates privacy and security of Protected Health Information (PHI), has sparked concern concerning how email containing PHI ought to be treated in the company setting. HIPAA, as it relates to email security, is an enforcement of otherwise well-known best practices that include:
* Making certain that email messages containing PHI are kept secure when transmitted over an unprotected link
* Guaranteeing that email systems and users are properly authenticated thus that PHI does not get into the wrong hands
* Protecting email servers and message stores where PHI could exist
Organizations regulated by HIPAA should comply and put these practices in place. But, the requirement to adjust to laws puts explicit pressure on the healthcare trade to boost their use of technology and "catch up" with different industries of similar size and scope.
Privacy and Email Security
The privacy protection provisions in HIPAA pose a significant compliance challenge for the healthcare industry. These provisions are intended to guard patients from disclosure of any of their individually identifiable health information. Organizations that fail to safeguard this info face fines starting from $10,000 to $twenty five,000 for each instance of unauthorized disclosure. If the disclosure is found to be intentional, HIPAA provides for fines starting from $one hundred,000 to $250,000 and possible jail time for people involved within the violations.
The clock is ticking - it is time to induce started
Bringing an enterprise into compliance with the rules set by HIPAA will appear like a very daunting task to even the foremost experienced executives. Nonetheless, the growing dependence on email as a mission-crucial application requires that your organization implement comprehensive security and privacy policies - and soon. A solid combination of security policies and also the technologies to enforce those policies will ensure improved security as well as HIPAA readiness and ongoing adherence.

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