HIPAA is a US federal law that governs the privacy and security of Protected Health Information (PHI) in the US. This article provides an overview of HIPAA and information on how XQ can help you comply with HIPAA.

Overview

HIPAA regulations aim to protect the privacy and security of people’s health information and give them certain rights over their information. HIPAA stands for Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act. It is a United States law that was passed in 1996 to protect the privacy of people’s health information.

HIPAA sets rules and standards for healthcare providers, health plans, and other entities that handle people’s health information. These entities are called “covered entities” under HIPAA. The law requires that covered entities protect the privacy and security of people’s health information, which is called “protected health information” or PHI. PHI includes any information that can identify a person, such as their name, address, Social Security number, medical records, and health history.

HIPAA also gives people certain rights over their health information. For example, people can request copies of their medical records, ask that errors be corrected, and ask that their information not be shared with certain individuals or organizations. HIPAA violations can result in significant fines and penalties, so covered entities take the law very seriously.

XQ and HIPAA

XQ helps to prepare you to meet HIPAA regulations in the following ways:

Robust Protection and Oversight

• Data remains trackable, controllable, and deletable after leaving your network
• XQ’s Zero Trust Data provides oversight and protection even where other services fail

Compliance

• Detect and safeguard against anticipated threats to the security of the information
• Protect against unauthorized disclosures or data
• Use Policy Manager to implement custom and automated data rules

Protect What Matters

• XQ Zero Trust Data alerts users to data incidents, supports remote data deletion, and enables users to modify data access anytime, anywhere
• These features help limit the scope and seriousness of data loss incidents, reducing recovery costs and potential fines

Support Patient Autonomy

• XQ’s data revocation and oversight capabilities in healthcare settings ensure patient autonomy and self-determination over health data
• Patients can give or withdraw consent, access, correct, and transfer their data

Today’s Best Practices Are Tomorrow’s Compliance

• The DoD’s commitment to Zero Trust Data signals that it will likely become a compliance requirement across frameworks
• Adopting Zero Trust Data today is a smart move for healthcare organizations looking to future-proof their compliance

For more information on using XQ to prepare for HIPAA or to schedule a demo, see our HIPAA compliance page.

Get Started

See our HIPAA Configuration guide to get started.