“Is your organization HITRUST certified?” Hearing that question from a customer can catch you off guard, especially if you’re only vaguely aware of what HITRUST is. But if your company handles sensitive data, learning more about this acronym should be a priority. This guide explains what HITRUST stands for, why it’s important for cybersecurity, and how you can achieve compliance.
What Is HITRUST?
In reality, HITRUST refers to two things. The first is an internationally respected standards organization. This certifying body specializes in data security, risk management, regulatory compliance, and privacy standards. HITECH-authorized audit firms carry out professional assessments and certification inspections.
When enterprises inquire about your compliance with HITRUST, they’re typically referring to the HITRUST CSF, a comprehensive cybersecurity framework. This robust framework helps companies implement strong data security policies, systems, and controls. Achieving HITRUST certification means your organization follows excellent cybersecurity and privacy practices.
What Does HITRUST Stand For?
Originally, HITRUST was an acronym that stood for Health Information Trust Alliance. Over the years, this standards body simply adopted the name HITRUST. As a nonprofit organization, HITRUST counts healthcare industry professionals, cybersecurity experts, and well-known business leaders among its members.
For example, Pamela Arora sits on the HITRUST board of directors, and she is also CEO of the Association for the Advancement of Medical Instrumentation. Omar Khawaja is the CISO of computing and automation firm Databricks. Stirling Martin is the senior VP of electronic health record giant Epic.
In short, the HITRUST framework follows leading practices in information security, governance, and risk management. It even has guidelines for trends like AI security risks.
A Brief History of HITRUST
The Health Information Trust Alliance was founded in 2007. The organization’s founders — including CEO Daniel Nutkis — brought decades of experience in IT security, compliance, privacy, and information risk. They partnered with leading experts in the healthcare and cybersecurity industries to create the HITRUST Common Security Framework.
One of the goals behind HITRUST’s creation was to give healthcare organizations a reliable set of standards for HIPAA compliance. HIPAA had been in place since 1996, but many medical professionals struggled to understand its requirements. In 2003, the HIPAA Privacy and Security Rules went into effect, and enforcement started in 2006.
HIPAA requires hospitals and health insurers to implement “reasonable and appropriate safeguards” to protect patient data and prevent breaches of privacy. But what exactly does reasonable and appropriate mean in terms of cybersecurity? With the HITRUST CSF baseline, organizations had a way to set concrete objectives, certify their compliance with HIPAA, and avoid penalties.
Who Is the HITRUST Framework For?
The HITRUST CSF is closely related to HIPAA and the healthcare industry. This benchmark was specifically designed to meet HIPAA regulations, PCI DSS requirements, and other standards that are common for healthcare providers. It’s common for HIPAA “covered entities” to pursue HITRUST certification, such as:
- Hospitals
- HMOs
- Health insurance companies
- Pharmacy chains
- Healthcare NPOs
HITRUST certification is also valuable for companies that provide services to healthcare partners. SaaS platforms, EHR networks, cloud storage providers, web hosting services, cybersecurity firms, and medical transcription firms can prove HIPAA compliance with HITRUST.
Over the years, the HITRUST CSF has expanded, shifting to an industry-agnostic model. Its controls map to some of the most trusted risk management and cybersecurity frameworks in the world, including ISO 27001, NIST 800-53, GDPR, and PCI DSS.
Any organization wanting to achieve ISO 27001 compliance can use the HITRUST CSF as a stepping stone. HITRUST certification is appropriate for financial organizations, fintechs, software developers, AI startups, payment gateways, and global companies. At least three-quarters of Fortune 20 enterprises have used the HITRUST CSF.
HITRUST Vs. Other Cybersecurity Frameworks
Why choose HITRUST instead of NIST CSF, SOC 2, or just HIPAA? Unlike these frameworks, the HITRUST CSF provides official compliance certification using a scoring rubric instead of a pass/fail system.
The other frameworks rely on independent reports that depend heavily on the reputation of the assessment firm behind them. NIST CSF can be excellent for helping your organization achieve compliance, but not for proving it to customers.
ISO 27001 also provides a pathway to certification, but ISO 27001 is less flexible and requires a high level of cybersecurity maturity. In contrast, HITRUST offers three levels of certification that adapt to your current maturity level.
What Does HITRUST Compliance Require?
Another benefit of the HITRUST CSF is how flexible it is. Even though the full framework has more than 2,000 potential controls, HITRUST audits only pull from controls that are relevant for your scope and operations. The result is a tailored approach to risk and cybersecurity that pushes your organization to follow best practices but fits your needs closely.
All in all, the HITRUST CSF encompasses 19 domains, or key areas. These include:
- Risk management
- Endpoint protection (e.g., firewalls and intrusion detection tools)
- Vulnerability management
- Configuration management and change control
- Mobile device security
- Vendor management
HITRUST compliance revolves around building a comprehensive information security management system. An effective ISMS addresses all risk, privacy, cybersecurity, and regulatory compliance needs, from data loss prevention and intrusion response plans to access control systems and internal audit programs.
How Can Your Organization Achieve HITRUST Certification?
There are three HITRUST levels of certification, and the controls vary by level:
- e1: One-year certification with foundational cybersecurity requirements
- i1: One-year certification with moderate information security maturity requirements and controls
- r2: Two-year certification with in-depth controls for full regulatory compliance with HIPAA
Some companies pursue HITRUST compliance independently, going straight for r2 certification once their ISMS program is mature. This can save money.
Other organizations use HITRUST readiness assessments, licensed auditors, and the MyCSF portal to gauge their progress. In this case, the road to certification usually starts with i1 and progresses to r2.
What Does HITRUST Mean for Your Customers?
For many organizations, HITRUST stands for trustworthy cybersecurity and risk management. The HITRUST CSF has an excellent reputation, standing the test of time in helping enterprises avoid devastating data breaches and ransomware attacks. A cost-effective HITRUST platform like Compyl can streamline your path to certification. Learn more today.
