HIPAA is a federal law that establishes national standards to protect individuals' medical records and other personal health information and applies to health plans, health care clearinghouses, and health care providers that conduct health care transactions electronically.
HIPAA certification involves a process where healthcare organizations demonstrate compliance with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) standards for protecting patient health information.
The core objectives of HIPAA certification include ensuring the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of protected health information (PHI), protecting against any reasonably anticipated threats or hazards to the security or integrity of such information, and ensuring compliance by the workforce.
Achieving HIPAA certification requires a comprehensive audit by a qualified third-party to verify that a health organization's privacy and security practices meet or exceed the regulatory requirements set by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).