What if a single error could cost your health care company millions or, worse yet, cost you your patients’ trust? What is HIPAA compliance?
Patient information is a major target for cybercriminals, and healthcare enterprises are under a lot of pressure. Medical records are a goldmine for malicious actors, given they can provide everything from patient diagnosis to enrollment and insurance information (and everything else that comes with protecting patient health information (PHI). Even the slightest slip in maintaining controls can have major implications for healthcare organizations, which may include financial damage, legal damages, and a breakdown in trust with patients. Protecting patient information is not just regulatory, it is ethical and a duty of care to people who depend on your care.
Even though HIPAA is an American regulation, its applicability and influence are expanding into and beyond the United Kingdom, and for UK organizations with U.S. health consumers or private health information, the relevance of this legislation extends across the water – not that it is practical to ignore it.
At Qualysec, we advise organizations through the complexity of global cybersecurity and compliance laws applicable to them, including HIPAA, GDPR, SOC 2, ISO 27001, etc. We can assist organizations with their due diligence to exhibit security readiness, from automation-based audits, gap analysis, and policy writing, etc.
Now let’s look at how HIPAA compliance can improve cybersecurity in the UK and the most frequently asked questions about the subject.
What is HIPAA?
HIPAA was written in the United States under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996. It sets certain legal standards to safeguard Protected Health Information (PHI)—from an individual’s medication and diagnosis history to laboratory test results and insurance information.
- Medical diagnosis and treatment plans
- Lab results and images
- Medication data
- Billing information and insurance information
- Personal information such as names, birth dates, and addresses
HIPAA compliance solutions mandates stringent technical, administrative, and physical security controls that must be followed by healthcare providers, health technology systems, and their business partners to safeguard patient information.
Does HIPAA Pertain to the United Kingdom?
Technically, HIPAA law is an American law and does not automatically apply in the UK. UK organizations providing services to US health care customers or handling US patient data, though, are required to comply with HIPAA. These include some of the following:
- Telemedicine providers providing telemedicine services to US patients
- Cloud hosts for US health information
- Research hospitals in collaboration with American hospitals
- IT service providers or SaaS solutions for handling PHI
- Non-compliance in this scenario may result in legal penalties, contractual fines, or reputational harm.
Why Should UK Businesses Care about HIPAA?
As much as your business may not be obligated by law to comply with HIPAA regulations, adopting its standards has serious cybersecurity and business benefits, such as:
- Increased data security design
- Global customer trust and credibility
- Quicker access to the U.S. healthcare market
- Reduced cases of data breaches and fines
- Competitive edge over non-compliant suppliers
By being HIPAA compliant, you indicate to U.S. partners and regulators that you’re meeting their toughest data protection requirements.
HIPAA vs. GDPR: What’s the Difference?
| Aspect | HIPAA (USA) | GDPR (UK/EU) |
| Focus | Healthcare-specific data | All personal data |
| Scope | U.S.-based companies handling U.S. PHI | EU/UK citizens’ data, regardless of company location |
| Consent | Not always required if for treatment/payment | Explicit consent is needed for most processing |
| Fines | Up to $1.5 million/year per violation | Up to €20 million or 4% of annual global turnover |
Though GDPR is more extensive, HIPAA is narrower and stricter in how medical information has to be processed. UK businesses that process U.S. healthcare data generally need to meet both.
5-Step HIPAA Compliance Process
We at Qualysec make HIPAA compliance services at a simple 5-step process:
1. Appoint Privacy & Security Officers
Assign personnel to monitor HIPAA policy compliance and audits.
2. Train Employees
Regularly train all employees in PHI handling, privacy regulations, and data breach procedures.
3. Utilize Safeguards
Establish administrative, physical, and technical safeguards such as encryption, firewalls, and secure entry access.
4. Monitor & Audit
Ongoing monitor systems in operation with PHI, identify vulnerabilities, and conduct risk assessments.
5. Maintain Documentation
Compliance report, record keeping, audit logs, and incident response records to provide evidence on audits.
Download our Sample Penetration Testing Report to understand how vulnerabilities are reported and mitigated.
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Qualysec HIPAA Compliance: Fast, Automated & Dependable
Manual compliance is error-prone and time-consuming. That’s why Qualysec provides:
- Automated implementation of control
- Pre-built HIPAA policy templates
- Security gap analysis & roadmap planning
- Real-time compliance dashboards
- Ongoing monitoring & reporting
We assist you from assessment to audit, making you HIPAA, GDPR, ISO 27001, and other international standards-compliant on a single platform.
4 Additional Ways to Secure ePHI Aside from HIPAA
HIPAA compliance help you with the toolkit, but here are four additional ways to strengthen your cybersecurity stance:
1. Zero Trust Security: Never trust anyone, anywhere—no exception.
2. End-to-End Encryption: Encrypt data in transit and at rest with strong standards (AES-256+).
3. Role-Based Access Control (RBAC): Limit access to information by job roles to limit insider threats.
4. Incident Response Plan: Create a tested, ready-to-execute plan for rapid and effective response to security compromises.
Final Thoughts
In a global economy of remote care, cloud-based records, and digital diagnoses, safeguarding patient data is not only a compliance matter, it’s a matter of cybersecurity necessity.
As a health-tech start-up, cloud services company, or medical research company doing business in the UK, HIPAA compliance makes you safer, more reliable, and more competitive internationally.
At Qualysec, we assist you with this process through automated solutions, expert advice, and unparalleled customer care, so that you can concentrate on business growth while we handle your compliance.
Become HIPAA-Compliant Today. Make your organization secure, audit-compliant, and world-trusted. Call Qualysec today to schedule a FREE compliance consultation.
Talk to our Cybersecurity Expert to discuss your specific needs and how we can help your business.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. Is HIPAA equivalent to GDPR?
No. HIPAA is U.S.-specific health data, whereas GDPR applies to all UK and EU personal data. Both of them are focused on user security and privacy protection, though.
2. What is the HIPAA equivalent in the UK?
There is no a comparison per se, but GDPR and Data Protection Act 2018 regulates health data in the UK. NHS and healthcare practitioners generally operate under GDPR guidelines, but international businesses with international clients based in the U.S. also must be HIPAA compliant.
3. What is HIPAA compliance?
It is the compliance process for HIPAA requirements and security practices to ensure PHI protection. It involves technical controls (e.g., encryption), administrative policies (e.g., policy, training), and physical protections (e.g., access control).
4. Does HIPAA apply outside the U.S.?
Yes, with qualifications. If an external organization works with U.S. patients’ PHI, for instance, as a business associate, they are required to adhere to HIPAA standards.
5. What is a HIPAA violation?
A HIPAA security rule breach occurs when PHI is accessed, disclosed, or misused inappropriately as a result of non-compliance. Examples are:
- Sending PHI via unsecured email
- Non-authorized personnel viewing patient files
- Stolen devices holding unencrypted PHI
6. What is one example of HIPAA compliance?
A UK-based telemedicine app with U.S. patient files stored on encrypted servers, using multi-factor authentication, and conducting regular HIPAA audits would be considered compliant.
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