Healthcare
Assurance That Goes Beyond
Healthcare SOC Audit
No one can afford to work with at-risk healthcare providers. If someone is going to use your health care services, they need to know that your data and services are secure. That’s why a healthcare SOC Audit is extremely important.
Even if you believe your systems are secure it is critical to have them examined by an auditor. With more and more healthcare security breaches being reported in recent years, it is more critical than ever for covered entities and business associates to demonstrate their dedication to making protected health information secure.
What is a SOC 2 Examination?
A SOC 2 Audit is fantastic for both business associates and covered entities that need to reassure their clients and customers that their information is safe, secure, available, and confidential. More and more organizations are requiring their vendors to be SOC 2 certified so they can ensure the healthcare organizations they do business with have strong security controls.
A SOC 2 audit addresses outside risk concerns by evaluating internal controls, policies, and procedures that relate to the AICPA’s 5 Trust Services Criteria. This means that a SOC 2 audit report focuses on non-financial reporting controls of an organization as they relate to security, availability, processing integrity, confidentiality, and privacy of a system. When determining which criteria to apply to your organization, consider the following questions:
- Is our system protected against unauthorized access?
- Is our system processing complete, valid, accurate, timely, and authorized?
- Is our system available for operation and use as agreed?
- Is our information that is designated as confidential protected as agreed?
- Is client personal information collected, used, retained, disclosed, and destroyed in accordance with the entity’s privacy notice?
While the duties of covered entities and business associates vary, typically a healthcare organization will choose to have the security, availability, and confidentiality categories tested. If a client cannot be assured that you have reliable, secure processes for securing protected health information, why would they choose to work with you?
What are the Benefits of a Healthcare SOC Audit?
Undergoing a SOC 2 examination shows that your healthcare organization is invested in maintaining secure services and remains fully committed to keeping not only your patient health information safe and secure, but ensuring that your patients receive quality health services. Your reputation, business continuity, competitive advantage, and most importantly, patients’ health all depends on the security and quality of your systems and can benefit from SOC 2 compliance.
