What are the three types of safeguards required by the HIPAA Security Rule?

The HIPAA Security Rule establishes a set of requirements to protect electronic protected health information (ePHI). The three types of safeguards mandated by the rule are Physical, Administrative, and Technical.

Physical safeguards refer to the tangible measures that are taken to protect facilities and equipment that store ePHI. This includes the use of locks, security guards, and surveillance cameras, as well as controlled access to buildings.

Administrative safeguards involve the policies and procedures that manage the selection and implementation of security measures to protect ePHI. This includes workforce training, assignment of security responsibilities, and conducting risk assessments to identify vulnerabilities.

Technical safeguards are the technology and related processes that protect ePHI and control access to it. This includes encryption, access controls, and audit controls that monitor who accesses ePHI and what activities they perform.

Understanding these three categories is crucial for compliance with HIPAA and ensuring the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of ePHI.