HIPAA Compliant WordPress Hosting with WP Engine
The healthcare industry is becoming more and more digital. Between patient portal apps, online prescriptions, and online appointment reminders, healthcare institutions are thriving on digital platforms. However, complying with healthcare regulations, such as the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), can be cumbersome for healthcare institutions.
What is HIPAA?
HIPAA is a United States federal law that regulates the handling of healthcare information. Its implementation aims to give Americans greater control over their personal information, reduce healthcare costs, and improve healthcare quality.
Enacted in 1996, HIPAA is the “gold standard” for healthcare information security. Designed to ensure patient privacy and prevent health information breaches, HIPAA sets the bar high for any type of healthcare organization.
HIPAA Compliance Is A Never-Ending Battle. Why?
You may be wondering why HIPAA compliance is such a daunting task, and why healthcare institutions continue to struggle with it. There are several reasons, but here are a few:
Multiple Systems
One of the biggest problems for healthcare institutions is that HIPAA compliance requires extensive testing and debugging to ensure that your system functions correctly. This is because HIPAA compliance adds a layer of complexity to your IT infrastructure that needs to be mastered before you can begin operations. You cannot simply move to HIPAA compliant mode and expect your system to work as it did before. In most cases, healthcare institutions have to completely rebuild their IT infrastructures to meet the requirements of HIPAA.
Complex Regulations
Another major challenge for healthcare institutions is that HIPAA compliance is extremely complex. Although the regulations are designed to be user-friendly and straightforward, this is not always the case. For example, if you are processing individually-identifiable information (PII), you must ensure the security of this data, and ensure that it is not improperly shared. What this means is that you need to ensure that your staff are trained in how to protect patient data and ensure that it is not misused. The amount of paperwork required to keep in compliance with HIPAA regulations is staggering, and it can be exhausting to keep up with all the paperwork. Healthcare institutions need to take a serious look at their legal department and figure out how to best utilize their resources to tackle the paperwork required by HIPAA.
Limited Manpower
Even when healthcare institutions are doing everything right, and they have the necessary training, resources, and paperwork organized, HIPAA compliance can still be a daunting task. After all, humans are fallible, and you cannot prevent errors and abuses of your system. Your staff may simply choose to ignore the regulations and this could be disastrous. You need to invest in proper oversight and make sure that your team is aware of the consequences of actions, both good and bad.
Costly
Finally, healthcare institutions need to consider the cost of HIPAA compliance. It is estimated that the annual cost of HIPAA compliance in the US is over $2 billion. This is mostly due to the fact that many healthcare institutions choose to outsource parts of the process, as well as the fact that many companies that provide email security, web security, and content management systems do not offer complete HIPAA compliance packages. Your best option is to find an all-in-one service provider that offers complete HIPAA compliance.
Finding a HIPAA compliant web host that offers the functionality you require is not as hard as you think. The trick is in asking the right questions, and knowing what to look out for. By using a service like WP Engine that is fully vetted and certified to meet the highest standards of security and privacy, you can rest assured that your patient information will be safe. Take a look at our special features to learn more about what sets us apart from the competition.
Overall Review: 4.5/5 Rating
If you’re looking for a WordPress hosting company that is HIPAA compliant, you’ve come to the right place. WP Engine offers a fully managed service that is HL7 v2 compliant and Mountain View compliant. They also offer an unlocked site with a free domain. Finally, be sure to check out their customer support as they are available via email and live chat. We recommend their general pricing as it is very affordable.
To learn more, visit www.wpeatengine.com or call 1-855-297-8924.