When it comes to remote access, healthcare organizations must contend with the same challenges as their counterparts in many other industries: remote workers and third-party contractors need fast, reliable connections to enterprise resources. The security team also needs to defend against threats like data breaches and the introduction of malware. One notable difference in healthcare is that organizations are subject to stringent HIPAA compliance requirements meant to protect the sensitive patient records they store and share.

Even while facing a rising number of attacks, healthcare organizations need to provide secure and efficient remote access to systems to deliver high quality and timely patient care. Safeguarding patient records in line with HIPAA is also complex due to the expansion of telehealth, a more distributed workforce, and greater reliance on third-party vendors.

This is why organizations must carefully select remote access mechanisms that ensure patient privacy and safeguard against cyber threats. Not only will this support the needs of remote teams, but it will also keep the auditors happy!

The Need for Compliant Remote Access

The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) was designed to ensure the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of ePHI. This includes any access to ePHI, whether by internal employees or third parties. But maintaining compliance becomes trickier when organizations rely on legacy or inadequate remote access methods.

Methods such as Windows Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP) and Virtual Private Networks (VPNs) are often used to facilitate remote access. However, these options can fall short of HIPAA requirements due to inadequate access controls, lack of encryption, and insufficient logging. They also lack the controls to efficiently manage and monitor remote access, making them difficult to implement and time-consuming to maintain, particularly when managing multiple vendor access accounts.

Healthcare organizations often rely on vendors and external contractors, who require remote access to their systems – each with their own unique needs and access levels. Managing all these different methods of access is complex, time-consuming, and prone to security risks. This is where a zero trust remote access solution can streamline the process and prevent organizations from running afoul of HIPAA rules.

Enhance HIPAA Compliance With Zero Trust Remote Access

Remote access solutions built on zero trust principles – such as Check Point’s Harmony SASE – are designed to address many of HIPAA’s requirements. Some key aspects include:

Access Controls and Authentication

The HIPAA Security Rule mandates that healthcare organizations implement strict access controls. This includes ensuring that only authorized individuals can access systems containing ePHI. Harmony SASE enables this level of control by authenticating user identities – enforced with MFA – and restricting access to ePHI based on granular policies. And Harmony SASE’s centralized management platform makes it easy to manage and control remote access for employees, contractors, and third-party vendors.

Enhanced Security and Data Protection

One of the primary requirements of HIPAA is that all data must be encrypted in transit to prevent unauthorized access or tampering. Harmony SASE ensures end-to-end encryption for all remote sessions, keeping sensitive data unreadable and indecipherable.

Audit and Logging Features

Healthcare organizations are required to maintain a detailed audit trail of all access to ePHI. This includes tracking successful and failed login attempts, actions taken during remote access sessions, and access to sensitive information. Harmony SASE maintains complete access logs, ensuring that network activity is captured, time-stamped, and available for review by auditors.

Malware Prevention

The HIPAA Security Rule requires security measures that help prevent the introduction of malware, as it can open the door for an attacker to access patient records. Harmony SASE provides multiple layers of defense against malware, including:

  • DNS filtering, which uses Web Reputation Services to prevent traffic from potentially malicious websites
  • Device Posture check, which enforces protection at the device level
  • Advanced malware protection built into Harmony SASE Internet Access, including heuristics and machine learning to prevent viruses, ransomware, advanced persistent threats (APTs), and more
  • Browser-based protection against malware and other web threats

As threats become more sophisticated, meeting stringent HIPAA requirements becomes harder. Learn how Harmony SASE can help your organization address these threats and stay compliant.

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