IT Audit for Healthcare Organizations: How to Prepare for It

IT Audit for Healthcare Organizations: How to Prepare for It

The role of IT control and audit in the healthcare industry has become a serious mechanism for ensuring the integrity of information systems. All healthcare organizations must take adequate measures to ensure that their patient’s data are kept safe.

In noncompliance with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) directive, all healthcare organizations are required to keep specific data private. To do this, healthcare organizations must identify these data and prevent unauthorized access to these confidential data by taking strict security measures.

What if after trying everything within your reach to prevent a data breach, you still feel your IT system is at risk of getting attacked? Or perhaps you just want to secure any loophole that cyber attackers can use to gain access into your system, then you should consider an IT audit.

What is an IT Audit?

An IT audit refers to the examination and evaluation of an organization’s information and technology policies, operations, and infrastructure to ensure data integrity and maximum protection of corporate assets. Information security audits can help you avert the consequences of a data breach by exposing potential security threats, allowing you to salvage the situation and fix the holes in your system.

How to prepare for IT auditing

Preparing for an IT audit can be overwhelming, yet time-consuming, but it’s a must-done as it is essential for healthcare organizations to protect the personal health records of their patients.

There are varieties of steps that can be followed by hospitals in anticipation of an IT audit.

Below is an effective guide on how to prepare for it.

• Ensure you carry out a security assessment

This is arguably the first step to take before an audit. You must be aware of security gaps in the computer programs within your office. Security can be done by experts or by employees who have extensive computer security experience.

• Get used to audit protocols

Hospitals must carry out their healthcare audit findings and familiarize themselves with the standard audit protocols which will serve as guides to know what auditors want.

• Update your documentation

Another preparatory step hospitals should take is to update their documentation which is the hospital’s evidence of their effort to follow the audit protocol set aside by the governing body, as this is what will be requested first during an audit. Be well organized, ensure your information is accurate and accessible.

• Ensure all data are encrypted

Data encryption is one of the primary guidelines put forth by the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA). All patient’s health records must be fully encrypted through HIPAA-approved software. Data encryption is required for IT audits, and healthcare organizations without it will fail the audit and be liable for the appropriate penalty.

IT audits can be triggered at any time and for numerous reasons. You should be able to prove your compliance even if a complaint is filed against you. However, the best preparation for an IT audit is to prepare yourself before it happens to avoid future penalties.

If you don’t have time to do an IT Audit for your business, VN Consulting can help! Our IT experts are always ready to take on your project. Contact us today!