Being FISMA and GLBA Compliant

The Federal Information Security Management Act (FISMA) was meant to regulate and control the use of electronic technologies in order to safeguard information and guarantee information security. FISMA compliance by all enterprises refers to them abiding as per the rules of protecting data and the norms involved in disclosing the same. Meanwhile the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act of GLBA is an act that protects individuals or enterprises who engage the services of a financial institution. From financial institutions, to loan and debt collectors all come under the purview of the GLBA Act. The act follows that financial institutions have to put in place best security standards to protect their customer’s information from being abused or misused. Therefore financial institutions have to put in place proper compliance procedures in place to fully abide as per the act. 

Solutions and requirements for GLBA Compliance

There are plenty of financial institutions who want to put in place compliance procedures that can decrease management costs. The idea is to get compliance solutions that offers centralized repository that can handle and store data efficiently. Also such solutions should also offer best ways to access the same data without any security breaches. Financial institutions should look for solutions wherein they can have better visibility into their compliance status and also be updated about compliance enforcement from time to time. Also such institutions should realize that for easy GLBA compliance they need to ensure that their compliance solution can ensure best ways to manage work flow, control their inventories etc. Matching of compliance signatures also yet another important aspect that compliance solutions need to possess. From sending compliance alerts  to tracking and help mitigate risks to providing best audit trails, GLBA compliance solutions need to be well-equipped to meet all the regulations and help make financial institutions GLBA compliant.

Solutions and requirements for FISMA Compliance

When it concerns FISMA, institutions should seek for solutions that can provide them with best ways to not only classify their IT assets but also ensure its complete privacy, reliability and accessibility. The idea is to look for solutions where in assistance can be provided easily to construct safety plans and put in place proper policies and procedures to implement the same. It should help institutions in conducting performance analysis, enable ways to enforce and observe industry standards and controls. Furthermore it should also assist institutions in recognizing risks and providing best access controls by ensuring there are zero ways of disclosure or destruction of data. 

Learn more about: HIPAA Compliance and vulnerability manager

An Authoritative Compliance Security for an Unwavering Presence

As per the 2011 Data Breach Investigations Report (DBIR) released by Verizon there has been a considerable drop in the number of compromised records- from 361 million in 2008 to 144 million in 2009 and less than 4 million in 2010. Security breach incidents have reduced to 1% in the healthcare sector while the hospitality industry has experienced the maximum number (40%), followed by the retail sector (25%) and the financial services sector (22%). The investigated data for 2010 was a joint effort between Verizon with 94 incidents and the U.S. Secret Service with 667 incidents making the total to a massive 761.

It has been found that 92% of the breaches occur through external sources. These sources use sophisticated hacking methodologies and different types of malware to gain access to the vulnerable IT systems. Currently the criminals are targeting the payment systems, as the U.S. Secret Service has clamped down all malware activities with a strict vigil on hosting services. It has also been seen that the small business organizations and medical practitioners fall easy prey to these heinous crimes as they do not have a reliable infrastructure and proactive policies to ward off these intrusive acts. 

As per the HITECH Act any incident that poses a security risk to the personal health information of 500 people or more have to be reported. Penalties in the form of expensive fines are imposed on those found guilty of violating the HITECH Compliance regulations. Thus every medical and healthcare organization has to ensure the establishment of a regularized and compact security policy throughout the entire operation leaving no opportunities for any unauthorized access. 

The best way to deal with all issues related to security, compliance and risk is to invest in the automated SecureGRC SB compliance solution that has all the capabilities to deliver compelling performances and create an invincible force against any malicious attacks. These solutions are cloud based services that constantly track and monitor all activities and provide real-time information instantly. With the help of the compliance management software solution the organizations are made aware of the new and revised regulations and the security policies of the organizations are updated immediately and automatically. 

Often healthcare organizations suffer losses due to employees’ negligence or due to inadequate information and training. The automated HIPAA Compliant solution provides a respite to the organizations by providing intelligent analytical assessments and reporting facilities that help to keep track of the compliance status. A strict authentication process is deployed that thwarts all damaging attempts. With the services offered on the cloud, any mid-sized or a small organization can easily afford this solution to use it as a remedy for reviving their declining operations. Now with a trustworthy and inexpensive healthcare compliance tool within easy reach there is no excuse for falling into a trap and losing one’s hard-earned reputation.

Another Smear added to the hall of shame

Every now and then medical negligence and non-compliance reports rears its ugly face causing traumatic repercussions that shakes the basic foundations of any establishment. This time it has resurfaced again. The victim is Health Net, a health insurance company that has been penalized with a massive amount of $250,000 for compromising with patients’ personal health information due to a missing drive.

This incident adds to the rising number of breaches and totals to 256 incidents affecting 10.2 million patients. It is also the first one to be marked in history as a HIPAA civil lawsuit filed by a state attorney general enabled by the HITECH Act. This is the second time that Health Net has been charged with breach of personal health information.

It is a bewildering to note that the institutions associated with the medical profession, fail to understand the emphasis on enforcements to control the physical security parameters, the existing policies and their business associates despite clear instructions from the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the Office for Civil Rights (OCR). 

It can be considered a willing negligence on the company’s part to rely on flimsy third party policy structures for safeguarding patients’ confidential information, especially with this being the second incidence of negligence. As the HIPAA HITECH laws are become more exacting there seems to be barely any improvements. 

There is still hope for healthcare organizations to recover their practices from further deterioration by implementing the cloud based compliance management software solutions. This compliance system traces all malignant attacks meant to paralyze the normal functions of the business. It provides the most recent information with real-time updates. Its unique feature is its intense visibility into the status of the compliance processes.

The processes are automated and follow a streamlined path without deviating from its course. There is a lot of integration and coordination involved which makes it easy to secure the security loopholes and construct a resilient defensive mechanism. It becomes easy to track and monitor the activities of the business associates to ensure that they are in adherence with the metrics. Due to automatic updating procedures the existing policies are continually amended and kept in sync with the latest policies and procedures. 

Organizations have also attributed their weak security to incompatible infrastructure. With the cloud based healthcare compliance system there is no need for any investments in new infrastructure and therefore deals with the age-old grouse of incompatible infrastructure in the healthcare organizations.

Organizations can put an end to their distress by employing the cost-saving and amiable cloud-based HITECH compliance management solution and grab the attention of the HHS and OCR in a positive light.

Get more information on - healthcare solution and It compliance here.

Implanting a Restrictive and Determined Compliance Plan

Data security has become one of the most questionable prerogatives in today’s IT driven environment. Because of expedited convenience we have surrendered ourselves to IT tools and processes completely. Managing a business without IT infrastructure and applications is impossible and unimaginable. You require technological expertise to make an impressionable progress and establish a secure status in the market.  Fierce competition instigates a roguish demeanor amongst your competitors which can impede your climb to success. 

Success in business is also an invitation to many unethical policies that are practiced to paralyze the normal functioning. This can lead to fatal repercussions and irrecoverable damages. Every business runs smoothly on the basis of the information that is received and distributed. This information contains many sensitive and critical elements. The critical information can be easily exposed and misused in the absence of a complete governance, risk and compliance management environment.

There is no certainty from which quarter your data security might face maximum risk. Faulty and mismanagement of information, negligent or intentional errors caused by your employees,  obsolete business policies, ineffective compliance metrics are easy ways for conceding access to unauthorized entries to wreak havoc. You need secure and diligent compliance management software that takes care of your overall security and threat management needs and provides you with a safe environment.

Automated compliance management software ensures the enforcement of intense security parameters with simplified controls and extensive visibility. It keeps a constant vigil with its 24x7 monitoring system. It provides an infrastructure with flexible capabilities that encourages seamless integration with different compliance frameworks without any conflicts. It provides real-time information for an analysis of the compliance status and automatically updates the policies in accordance with the revised regulations.

The automatic vulnerability scanning feature effectively scans all information received to detect and plug any anticipatory threat. It provides audit logs of the ongoing activities and takes corrective measures to ensure that no further damage is caused. The compliance management software is a perfect and accurate one with no opportunities for errors. A streamlined and time-saving procedure is executed and costs are reduced effectually. 

There is no additional burden of investments in new structures and frameworks as the service can be availed as a cloud process. The regulated and transparent procedures deployed by the compliance management software promote efficiency levels and enhance productivity. A secure and compliant IT environment can only be accomplished and guaranteed with consistent and stringent efforts.

Learn more about: IT Compliance  here.

Advantages of Healthcare Compliance Solutions

Did you know that the Occupational Safety and Heath Administration (OSHA) is the body that checks if private and public healthcare enterprises are complying as per the safety and health regulations? OSHA conducts inspections and safety audits of different healthcare organizations to check for any non-compliance. Healthcare providers who ignore such safety compliance measures can be held liable and will be asked to pay stiff penalties and fines. Therefore the greatest advantage of paying heed to healthcare compliance guidelines is that healthcare organizations can rest assured of facing any kind of federal and other serious consequences of non-compliance. 

HIPAA or HITECH compliance includes health care access, portability and also the facility of renewing healthcare medical insurance coverage.  It provides the best means to look for any kind of healthcare fraud or abuse. These compliance regulations contain a framework that outlines how costs can be drastically reduced with the standardization of healthcare transactions. Furthermore such regulations safeguard the interests of patients.  Additionally these healthcare compliance regulations contact some provisions that also concerns tax security for medical savings accounts. There are quite a few healthcare compliance solutions providers that can assist in the planning of healthcare compliance requirements. These requirements include healthcare providers being aware of managing and executing security measures for all the health related information of the patients, install intrusion devices to secure and prevent unauthorized access to patient’s health information and conduct risk assessments and audits that can ensure that all data is safeguarded efficiently. 

The current regulatory scenario is highly complex and to survive it requires for healthcare providers and organizations to have a workable compliance plan in place. Most healthcare providers have either employed compliance managers but for small medical practices doing the same can be quite an expensive prospect, therefore such medical practices should opt for optimized healthcare compliance solutions. Solutions wherein you can be assured of provision of ways to automate processes and provision of best protection against anticipated threats. The solutions should help such small healthcare providers that can better equip them to construct security model wherein only certain qualified professionals will be allowed to access patient’s health information. The basic idea is to employ an efficient healthcare compliance solutions partner that can help small medical practices save up on unnecessary costs and yet remain compliant to all regulations. 

With fines ranging from whopping amounts of $25,000 yearly to around $250,000, it is time that all healthcare providers big or small woke up to the grim prospect that non-compliance can result in. 

Learn more about: vulnerability scanning and vulnerability manager

Receiving Enormous Benefits with Incident Management

Businesses are always undergoing experimentation with the introduction of new technologies that are meant for accelerating efficiency, productivity and output. Due to this the IT systems are subject to incidents that may affect the business adversely. Every business requires an efficient incident management system that can help in restoration of operations without causing any fatal effects. 

Besides the need for resuming operations in the quickest time possible businesses also have to ensure that compliance is intact. The significance of maintaining high standards of compliance practices is undoubtedly top priority. Every business has to ensure compliance with their industry regulations. Some even involve cruel penalties in case of any violation such as the HIPAA and HITECH.

Most of the incident management programs hardly provide the desired benefits. Businesses are on the lookout for broader collaboration and are more insistent on expansive networks to accommodate greater number of suppliers and customers. As a result the disparate IT systems fail to integrate leading to network failures and conflicting configurations. Incidents can also be caused by the usage of numerous types of servers, storage and operating systems.

A productive incident management system will not interfere with the regular activities and ensure that all the faulty processes are immediately repaired. It should have the ability to respond promptly to any requests of customers and record the occurrence of incidents methodically. The system should help in classifying and providing support based upon the priority of the case. Incident management should also enable integration with various compliance regulation frameworks to ensure that all compliance needs and security risks are addressed effectively.

Incident management process requires expert handling to investigate and diagnose the cause of the incident, provide solutions for quick recovery of the processes, mobilize a highly efficient system of monitoring the incident and providing status reports to the customers. To simplify the process the use of automated incident management solutions helps in the execution of tasks automatically and easily without any errors. All the data is recorded meticulously to derive accurate analytical reports.

Automated incident management solutions empower businesses as it deploys best ITIL practices to provide premium IT services to customers. It provides comprehensive solutions for all issues related with compliance, information security and IT risk management. The risks in business are way too dangerous to be ignored. Without an incident management system businesses can be ruined. Those who demonstrate a proactive and authoritative incident management attitude are assured of proliferating gains and an admirable position.

Learn more about: threat management and governance risk and compliance

Solutions for Rewarding Healthcare Compliance Achievements

Compliance has become the most important factor for medical practitioners today. Every individual is well aware of the consequences of non-compliance. Previously, before the HIPAA and HITECH laws were initiated there was a general apathy towards protecting patient’s personal health information causing sufferings to many helpless victims. The medical organizations had neither any control over the flourishing malpractices nor did it take responsible actions to stop them.

The callous attitude of the healthcare organizations provoked the judiciary to take firm steps and incorporate regulations to provide a safety net for the patients. Even with strict penalties the healthcare providers are continuing operations with their faulty systems that hardly produce any results. Despite being reminded about new and revised regulations the providers pay minimal attention to train their staff and keep them up to date with the latest regulations. 

Due to budget crisis they are unable to implement new solutions and try to manage with the old infrastructure and applications that have no relevance with the new regulations. With such shortage of facilities and vulnerability management systems personal health information can be easily compromised with. Loss of disk drives, documents and records of patients by the medical staff, blind trust on business associates have all cost healthcare organizations a heavy price. Non-compliance has become a universal plague with scarcely any signs of relief.

A quick fix solution is not the answer to this epidemic. Medical practitioners require permanent and effective solutions to cure this ailment. The cloud based SecureGRC SB is the right solution that has the tenacity to deal with all security and healthcare compliance risks. This helps medical organizations to be constantly aware of their own compliance status and the revised regulations that they need to adjust to. 

Since the solution is an automated one the organizations are saved the trouble of updating their policies manually. So there is no room for errors or negligence. The SecureGRC SB is also ideal for HITECH compliance regulations as it helps to monitor the activities of the business associates that are vital sources of security breaches. The infrastructure is flexible and easy to handle with integrating qualities. 

Since it is a cloud based service medical organizations do not have to invest additionally for new setups, which help in reducing the burden of extra costs. Thus any organization, irrespective of its size can benefit immensely. With the SecureGRC SB solution organizations can be saved from public humiliation and expensive fines. All routes leading to security breaches can be the corrective actions taken ensure a risk-free environment for both patients and medical practitioners. 

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Five Steps for Addressing HITECH Requirements

Data breaches can hamper an organization’s credibility and carry enormous medical and financial risks to the people whose data is lost. The HITECH Act increases the stakes for a data breach. Organizations often think first of IT security measures to protect personal data, but we have found through working with healthcare organizations that most data breaches are linked to human error or process failure.

 

Examining all aspects of PHI (Protected Health Information) security and data breach readiness is of utmost significance with breach incidents on the rise. Recommended below are five steps to all healthcare organizations for addressing HITECH compliance.

·         Conduct a risk based review

In any incident response plan, the first step is to conduct a comprehensive risk based assessment of the practices associated your PHI assets and their lifecycle. This should include creating a precise inventory of the PHI data contain all the internal and external workflows where the information is used. It also needs to not only identify the PHI-specific risks in your IT systems, but should identify the same in the organizational policies and processes.

·         Go by the guidelines and secure PHI

With your risk-based assessment and PHI stock in hand, it is necessary to make certain that the information  is secured or protected any technology that is specified by the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) pursuant to the Healthcare regulatory compliance. This includes "de-identification" of personal data (i.e., ensuring that you provide only as much data as is required for each business process or function).

·         Address contracts and processes

The HITECH Act expects a contract with business associates to authorize and define the use of the PHI that is shared with them. Business associates include healthcare organizations, industry service providers, suppliers or any other organizations. The legal team will be able to prioritize contract revisions post a risk-based assessment and ascertain the associates that pose the highest breach risk.

·         Prepare for Breach Detection

Under the HITECH Act, it is necessary to provide a notification within 60 days when PHI in any form is breached, not just electronic records. The definition of "breach" now includes even incidental loss or exposure of single records or small amounts of personal information. The new rule states that a breach is officially discovered on "the first day it is known & or should reasonably have been known." Earlier, data breaches have been discovered months or years after the victims began complaining of identity theft. These days, failure to detect a breach can trigger penalties up to $1.5M. Aggressive, ongoing monitoring programs that range from IT audits to checking patient health records for inconsistencies recommended ensuring early breach detection.

·         Plan for Breach Response

To meet HITECH requirements, it is necessary to have a detailed breach response plan in place. Under HITECH, notification requirements are more specific, and notification is essential even for small-scale data breaches. It is also important to consider vendors who provide turnkey notification services, including call centers and postal mail. Remediation services for breach victims will help preserve public trust in your organization.

HITECH compliance is likely to affect every aspect of your operations: business and healthcare processes; IT data security, retention, and monitoring; contracts and business relationships. Ultimately, a better understanding of the IT Compliance process will prove beneficial to the patients, employees and business.

Learn more about: ISO 27002 and HIPAA