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Finding a HIPAA-compliant web host
Posted by Kent
The following is an actual user-submitted question:
Q: I would like to design and build a website for my small business that will mainly provide information to my existing clients. Some of this information is private medical information, so I would like to include a password-protected section to which individual clients (no more than 50 people) can log in and retrieve their lab reports and other such information. I am having difficulty finding a service that will help me to do this by myself (I really don't want to hire a professional service to design my website). Can you direct me to a service that would suit this need, or to resources that I should review before delving into this any deeper?
A: This is a really good question. I'm not an expert on medical law, but the main thing you probably need to look for is HIPAA compliance. If you work in the medical field you're probably pretty well versed in the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act. HIPAA makes requirements on security, data backups and other issues designed to keep customer data safe. Fortunately, there are web hosts that specialize in HIPAA compliance. The web hosts we review aren't specifically HIPAA compliant, but your question prompted us to look at a site called LuxSci that has HIPAA compliance features. There are others out there too; just do a search for "HIPAA compliant web hosts."
We have not tested this web host, but it might be a good starting point for you. The service is more expensive than the web hosts we reviewed (it looks like it's $149 per year base price, plus $20 or more per month depending on your requirements). But with HIPAA, you don't want to mess around; the privacy of your clients, and the livelihood of your business depend on it.
4 Responses to “Finding a HIPAA-compliant web host”
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May 11th, 2010 at 1:11 pm
Actually, the medical information to which I referred pertains to dairy cows, not humans (I am a large animal veterinarian), so although confidentiality is important to me, the rigors of HIPAA compliance may be overkill. Is there any information you can offer that would help me find a suitable service provider?
May 12th, 2010 at 10:19 am
That certainly does make a difference then. Any web host that uses cPanel for site administration will allow you to make certain areas password controlled. Create a directory for each client (or cow) and put the files inside. You'll also need to create a unique username and password for each. You'll use the "Password Protect Directories" component located under "Security." Most web hosts use cPanel, including Hostmonster, Bluehost, Hostgator, JustHost, and others. It's so popular that our reviews generally note when a web host does NOT use it. Personally, I like HostGator–it's a bit more expensive than some others, but a great service.
June 14th, 2011 at 8:33 am
This is a good question and the right answers are usually within the vendor of choice selected to be your hosting provider.
With finding a HIPAA compliant web hosting privacy and confidentially cannot afford to be lost. With the utmost diligence in evaluating the process, policies and systems in place for a HIPAA compliant host the capabilities must be most stringent in terms of security.
Things to think about, patient data to be isolated onto dedicated redundant behind the scenes (DMZ) and security in place with the addition of an IDS application, log management, daily penetration scans and a list of rock solid solutions.
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Nick O'Neil http://bit.ly/mDE7DH
Cloud Evangelist, Logicworks
September 19th, 2011 at 6:24 am
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