This guide is about getting your small business compliant with HIPAA, the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act. The audience for this work is the owner of a business that wants to be a HIPAA Business Associate (BA).
Welcome to the world of HIPAA Compliance. I think there are some who, if writing a guide like this, might put in something snarky such as "I'm sorry you have to do this," but, honestly, I'm not sorry. Why? Because your company will be immeasurably more secure and stable after implementing some common sense administrative, technical, and physical controls, along with the appropriate policies and procedures.
Plus, you're at a distinct advantage starting from scratch, because it means that you haven't done a number of stupid things that would be costly to fix later.
As someone who has attempted to engage with countless potential partners for a healthcare company, it has been remarkable the number of opportunities left on the table because there was a weak or nonexistent story around HIPAA. Become HIPAA-compliant, and you will have more -- and more interesting -- business opportunities. Here's an example: HIPAA-compatible survey software is overpriced. It's a market that is due for disruption. If you have a cheap but non-HIPAA-compatible solution, you would likely get some provocative market share pretty quickly: healthcare companies are starving for new modern software but they often have to settle for overbuilt dinosaurs. Your HIPAA compliance can help open up such markets.
| HIPAA from Scratch is a work-in-progress. Want to help me out with requests for additional content and suggestions for fixes? Visit this guide. |