The Importance of HITRUST Certification, ISO Audits, and Capture Security in a Data Capture Partner

When you are choosing to work with a data capture provider, there are some things you should consider in order to keep your organization and its data safe and secure. Well organized data capture companies will have high levels of security, be HIPAA compliant, HITRUST certified, and will conduct regular audits to make sure their systems are intact. 

Today, we are going to discuss the importance of choosing a data capture partner that instills all of these practices into their regular workflow. By doing so,  you and your clients will receive peace of mind knowing your data is safe and secure. 

What Does it Mean to be HITRUST Certified?

When an organization is HITRUST certified, it means they’ve gone through the rigorous HITRUST process of evaluating their security protocols. The HITRUST CSF (certified security framework) provides vendors with a well-rounded approach to improve and maintain security compliance and regulations within their business. 

HITRUST stands for the Health Information Trust Alliance. Essentially, they’re a helping hand for organizations and vendors to prove they meet security requirements and standardized compliance within their sector. Facets of healthcare compliance can be difficult to understand and HITRUST gives them the tools and the framework to do that. Beyond being a helpful framework, some health insurance providers are actually beginning to require their BPO vendors, such as data capture providers, to be HITRUST certified.

What is an ISO Audit and Why is it Important?

Companies of all sizes need to recognize the importance of cybersecurity, but simply setting up an IT security group within the organization is not enough to ensure data integrity. An ISMS is a critical tool, especially for groups that are spread across multiple locations or countries, as it covers all end-to-end processes related to security. ISO audits are audits laid out by the International Organization for Standardization. It’s essentially another way of checking that your company is following standard processes. During an ISO audit, you will verify that your systems are in compliance with the appropriate ISO standards. If they are not being met, actions must be taken to meet those quality standards. 

When you are looking to work with a data capture partner, ask if they have gone through the different requirements  listed in theISO 27001 audit, or are willing to go through them:

ISO 27001 breaks down the best practices into 14 separate controls:

1. Information Security Policies 
2. Organization of Information Security 
3. Human Resource Security 
4. Asset Management 
5. Access Control 
6. Cryptography 
7. Physical and Environmental Security 
8. Operations Security 
9. Communications Security
10. System Acquisition, Development, and Maintenance 
11. Supplier Relationships 
12. Information Security Incident Management 
13. Information Security Aspects of Business Continuity Management 
14. Compliance

An organization that not only welcomes ISO audits but embraces them is a good choice to consider.

ISO audits lay the groundwork for businesses to continue meeting, exceeding and improving on security expectations. Knowing your data capture partner utilizes and passes ISO audits is a sure-fire way to know they will take good care of your information.

What Measures Should a Data Capture Provider Take for Capture Security?

Outside of official HITRUST certifications and ISO audits, what should a successful data capture partner do on their own to ensure capture security? At Smart Data Solutions, we combine our HITRUST certified standards with solidified best practices, internal audits, and firm operational security measures. So, what does good capture security look like?

A business handling sensitive patient data that is passed through many hands cannot thrive without all of the guidelines we’ve laid out in addition to their own internal security procedures. A few ways to tell if a data capture partner is going to be able to protect your sensitive data include:

• HIPAA compliance and annual training for employees
• HITRUST Certification
• Documentation of passed, and failed, ISO audits
• Multi-level security logins on computers and data capture programs
• Rigorous quality control procedures
• A well-documented history of security protocol changes and improvement
• Stringent hiring practices
• A history free of data-breaches
• Data recovery systems that meet the legal requirements

As you can see, it is important to find a partner who not only follows industry standards and audits but fully implements them into their daily processes. A workflow that does not consider continual improvements and standard quality work is not one you should feel secure with. 

Smart Data Solutions takes data security very seriously, and in tandem with our HITRUST certification, we also meet HIPAA compliance, conduct SOC audits, internal audits, and build our own security best practices within each workflow. Additionally, our HIPAA compliant facilities include biometric security access, full video surveillance and multi-factor authentication. We continually perform system analysis that ensures we remain the most trusted and reliable option for our industry partners. 

If this all seems overwhelming, we understand and are here to answer any and all questions you may have when it comes to data capture security. We pride ourselves on our security and continued compliance within the industry. We go above and beyond to make sure your data remains safe and secure. For more information on how to get started within your own workflows, call us at (651) 894-6400.