Addressing Security and Compliance in Custom EHR Development

At the start of 2024, the HIPAA Journal in the annual security breach report stated that, ‘An unwanted record was set in 2023 with 725 large security breaches in healthcare reported to the HHS beating the record of 720 healthcare security breaches set the previous year.’

The language used by the journal reporter and the way it has been presented might give you an idea why the security in healthcare systems is becoming a concern in recent years. If you further read the report, it states that many healthcare organizations fail to adhere to the compliance standards set by the regulatory bodies to ensure safety and security sensitive healthcare data.

The healthcare landscape across the globe is changing and digitalization is at the helm of it. Furthermore, to meet the specific needs of healthcare practices, the adoption rate of custom EHR software has significantly increased.

But given the growing security threats to the digital healthcare industry, there is a sense of hesitation in healthcare providers considering custom EHR software development.

Well, while healthcare practices planning to move ahead with custom EHR software development are on the right track of growth, the customized EHR approach also helps them to address the security and compliances effectively.

In this blog, let’s explore the security and compliances in custom EHR software development and what can be done, to ensure that your practice does not make it to the HIPAA Journal’s next year security breach report.

So, without further ado, let’s get started!

Understanding Security Concerns in EHR Development

Before addressing the security concern in healthcare, you first need to understand healthcare data in a better way. For instance, healthcare data is very sensitive and vulnerable in nature. The data usually contains personal identifiable information such as names, addresses, social security numbers and health information.

Furthermore, since you are willing to develop a custom EMR system, the system will likely contain the entire healthcare history of the patients. This makes the data a high value data which makes it prone to cyberthreats.

Now that you’ve got a brief idea about the nature of healthcare data, this data can be attacked in many different ways. Here are some of the most common security threats in healthcare:

• Ransomware: Making the data in your system inaccessible until the demands of the attackers are paid.

• Phishing: Phishing attacks are tricks where attackers bait you into clicking infected links to steal data from your system.

• Malware: These cyber attacks can infect your devices, systems and give the attackers the opening they need to steal or damage data.

While there are many different ways in which attackers can enter your systems and that is the reason a significant emphasis is placed on safeguarding your custom EHR system. Furthermore, the impactions of data breaches can directly compromise the patients’ fundamental right of privacy and impact your practice’s integrity and credibility.

Regulatory Compliance in Healthcare

As they say, ‘every cloud has a silver lining’ there are certain security measures that you can take to avoid being attacked by these attackers and protect your healthcare practice effectively.

Here are some of the regulatory compliances in healthcare that you should know:

• HIPAA: The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, also known as HIPAA, is a federal law that protects the privacy and security of health information.

• GDPR: General Data Protection Regulations are regulated in the European Union and aim to protect their data.

• HITRUST: HITRUST CSF is a voluntary framework offering a comprehensive set of security controls for protecting patient health information.

Depending on the type of service and location you are operating in there are several regulatory compliances that you need to adhere to. Furthermore, failing to adhere to these compliances can result in serious consequences such as hefty fines, reputation damage, patient trust damage, etc.

The role of compliance in ensuring patient data security is that of a guide that sets the standard for ensuring the security of the data.

Key Security and Compliance Considerations

Security and compliance in healthcare software development, and especially EHR software development, has become extremely necessary. So, to make the process easier for you to process and implement, here are some of the key security considerations for your custom EHR system:

• Implementing Encryption at Rest and In-transit: Implementing robust encryption for your data when it is at rest and in transit can increase the security of your data by a margin. So, even if the system is breached it becomes difficult for the attackers to interpret the data and make sense out of it.

• Utilizing Access Control and Role-Based Permissions: Add access control to your custom EHR software with role-based access control. This way the only authorized personnel can access the data, further minimizing the risk of data theft or breaches.

• Regular Auditing and System Activity Monitoring: The advantage you get with custom EHR software development is that it keeps a record of everything. That is why auditing and monitoring system activities regularly can help you analyze the security functioning of your system in a better way and in case of any suspicious activity, you can take action immediately.

• Adherence to Relevant Data Privacy Regulations: Last but not least, adhere to the regulatory requirements laid down by the regulatory bodies. It will not only strengthen your security practice but also help you seamlessly navigate the legal landscape.

Here are some of the compliance considerations that you need for your custom EHR software system:

• Adhering to Industry Standards and Regulations: Healthcare security compliances require you to adhere to the industry standard practices and regulations to ensure patient data safety and its ethical use. Understand that with meaningful use of data your foundation of the practice’s success can be laid and the main advantage you get in this is patient trust.

• Implementing a Comprehensive Compliance Management Program: Know what are the necessary compliances you need to adhere to and depending on that set-up a comprehensive compliance management program, where you regularly overview the compliance and its changing needs.

• Regularly Conducting Risks Assessment and Audits: Conduct regular risk assessment for your custom EHR software and audits. This will help you in understanding your security practices better and you can also maintain a detailed document about the compliance efforts to ensure that you’re always on the same page as the regulatory requirements.

However, sometimes, these considerations are simply not enough to completely address your security needs. Some of the additional considerations that you need to consider are:

• User Training and Awareness Programs to ensure users do not accidentally become a threat to security.

• Vendor Risk Management for Third-Party Software and Services to ensure the vendor you are using services from does not become a security threat.

• Incident Response Planning and Procedure to minimize the damage in case the security of your custom EHR software is compromised.

• Business Continuity and Disaster Recovery Planning must be done in advance to ensure no leaf is left unturned, and in case anything goes wrong, you can continue providing your services.

Benefits of Addressing Security and Compliance

If you’re still reading this blog, then you are in for a treat. While the security and compliance process seems complex, daunting, and complicated, it comes with certain benefits that can elevate the quality of your practice. So here are some of the benefits that you get by addressing security and compliances:

• Better patient data privacy and security of their sensitive healthcare data.

• Minimizing the risk of security breaches and associated costs that might come in case your security is breached.

• By enhancing the security of your healthcare practice, you can build a sense of trust and confidence in your patients and providers.

Frequently Asked Questions