Glossary

What is HITRUST?

HITRUST, or the Health Information Trust Alliance, is a privately held company located in the United States that, along with its partners, established the HITRUST CSF, a comprehensive, certifiable security framework, to address the multitude of security, privacy, and regulatory challenges facing organizations in order to comply with healthcare regulations. HITRUST CSF is a scalable, flexible framework that provides organizations with a comprehensive, yet tailor-made approach towards information risk management and compliance.

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Why HITRUST Exists?

HITRUST was created to mature and standardize information security management in the healthcare sector, primarily due to the multitude of regulations such as HIPAA, HITECH, and state laws concerning protecting health and payment card information. The goal is to simplify these regulations into a single framework that healthcare organizations can follow to ensure they are compliant and their data is secure.

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Who Needs HITRUST?

HITRUST certification is mostly needed by organizations in the healthcare sector. This includes healthcare providers, organizations that deal with ePHI (electronic Protected Health Information), health insurance companies, and other vendors, such as software companies, in the healthcare industry. Achieving HITRUST CSF certification demonstrates to these organizations' clients, partners, and stakeholders that they have a world-class data protection and compliance program.

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Application of HITRUST in Cloud Infrastructure and SaaS

In the context of cloud infrastructure and Software as a Service (SaaS) which are now common in the healthcare space, HITRUST provides important guidance. The framework requires that controls are in place to secure data at rest, in transit, and during processing. Moreover, it identifies the specific roles and privileges that need to be in place for those accessing the cloud services or SaaS. As a gold standard in healthcare security, a HITRUST CSF certification serves to reassure patients, healthcare providers, and vendors that their sensitive health information is being managed with the utmost security in mind.

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The Commonality of HITRUST

HITRUST CSF has gained substantial acceptance as the definitive security and privacy framework in the healthcare industry. Many organizations are requiring their business associates to become HITRUST certified. This is clearly indicative of how HITRUST CSF has become a common measure of an organization's commitment to managing information risk and maintaining the highest level of data protection and regulatory compliance.

HITRUST

FAQ

1. What is HITRUST and how does it relate to cloud infrastructure?

HITRUST, or the Health Information Trust Alliance, is a privately held organization offering a certifiable framework that helps businesses meet their information risk management and compliance objectives, especially relating to protecting health information. It provides a comprehensive approach to regulatory compliance and risk management specific to the healthcare industry. In terms of the cloud infrastructure, HITRUST sets strict standards for protecting PHI (Protected Health Information) stored in the cloud, ensures secure data transmission, and helps businesses comply with regulations like HIPAA.

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2. How does HITRUST impact SaaS providers?

For SaaS providers, HITRUST certification ensures that the software provided adheres to the highest standards of security, privacy, and data protection, thereby boosting customer trust. Specifically, it confirms that a SaaS provider has all the necessary safeguards to protect sensitive healthcare data and is compliant with relevant healthcare laws and regulations.

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3. How does HITRUST interact with Identity Access Management (IAM) and permission management?

HITRUST sets the standard for IAM and permission management in healthcare. IAM involves ensuring that the right people have the right access to the necessary technology resources. It includes components such as user provisioning, authorization, password management, role-based access control, and more. HITRUST provides a framework that includes guidelines and standards for IAM and permission management to ensure healthcare data remains secure and protected.

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4. How does HITRUST handle temporary access to data or least privilege access?

HITRUST framework includes guidelines that dictate how organizations should handle temporary, just-in-time access or 'least privilege' access. This means access rights for each user are limited to the bare minimum permissions they need to perform their work. This approach to security helps protect against insider threats, reduce attack surfaces, and contain the damage that can result from errors or malicious actions.

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5. Why is HITRUST important for cybersecurity in DevOps?

In a DevOps environment, speed and agility are of utmost importance. However, this should not compromise security. HITRUST ensures that cybersecurity is in-built within each phase of the development lifecycle in the DevOps model. This includes design, development, testing, release, and maintenance. This way, HITRUST aids in implementing "shift left" security, facilitating early detection and remediation of vulnerabilities.

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