Understanding the Limitations of Joomla in HIPAA Compliance

Mastering HIPAA Website Compliance

hipaadigital.com

Understanding the Limitations of Joomla in HIPAA Compliance

Alexander Bentley-Sutherland

HIPAA Digital™ - HIPAA Compliant IT Systems, Websites & Cyber Security

Alexander Bentley-Sutherland

Joomla is a great tool for web development However, its standard features and design do not meet the requirements of HIPAA compliance.

Ensuring HIPAA compliance requires a combination of the right technology, rigorous processes, and a culture of security and privacy within an organization

For those in the healthcare sector, selecting a Website builder that is designed with built-in HIPAA compliance features, or seeking specialized HIPAA-compliant hosting services, is a much more privacy-first and regulatory driven approach to safeguarding PHI and ePHI

Joomla and its Core Functionality

Joomla’s core design does not satisfy the security and privacy standards required by HIPAA. If your healthcare website is created in Joomla, there's a high chance that your site is not HIPAA Compliant

Beware website builder and marketing companies’ advice about how to create a website In our experience, nine out of ten covered entity websites we’ve reviewed do not comply, including ones built by well known health care marketing advisers Many websites are artfully designed and provide lots of good information. But they’re missing key ingredients of HIPAA.

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Mastering HIPAA Website Compliance

hipaadigital.com

Understanding the Limitations of Joomla in HIPAA Compliance

Alexander Bentley-Sutherland

Alexander Bentley-Sutherland

Rarely is this done deliberately Yet the priorities of HHS and OCR are changing Let's not forget that as well as acting as a deterrent against breaching HIPAA, fines and penalties generate significant revenues for the Departments

The solution? HIPAA Digital secures your Joomla or Wordpress website, signs a Business Associate Agreement, and provides ultra-fast HIPAA compliance hosting

Why Joomla is Not HIPAA Compliant

Lack of Built-In Encryption for Data at Rest

HIPAA mandates that PHI must be encrypted both in transit and at rest Joomla does not provide automatic encryption for stored data This means that sensitive patient information could be exposed if the server is compromised

Insufficient Access Controls and Authentication

HIPAA requires detailed access controls to ensure that only authorized personnel can access PHI While Joomla has basic user management control features, it does not offer advanced authentication and user activity monitoring systems that HIPAA compliance requires i e MFA and automated log out

HIPAA Digital™ - HIPAA Compliant IT Systems, Websites & Cyber Security HIPAA

hipaadigital.com

Understanding the Limitations of Joomla in HIPAA Compliance

Alexander Bentley-Sutherland

HIPAA Digital™ - HIPAA Compliant IT Systems, Websites & Cyber Security

No Standard Audit Trail Features

Alexander Bentley-Sutherland

Maintaining an audit trail is a crucial component of HIPAA compliance Joomla’s core functionality lacks logging and audit trail capabilities, which makes it very difficult to track user activities and detect unauthorized access.

Inadequate Data Backup and Disaster Recovery

To comply with HIPAA, a healthcare organization must have solid backup solutions and disaster recovery plans for PHI and ePHI Joomla does not provide these solutions; they depend on the hosting environment or third-party extensions, which in turn usually not meet HIPAA's requirements.

The Problem with Joomla Third-Party Extensions

Joomla’s 'extensibility' through third-party extensions is one of its strengths However, the use of these extensions for HIPAA-related websites exposes Healthcare owners to additional risks Most extensions are not developed with HIPAA compliance in mind. Plugging in a simple site extension may well risk an overall breach of HIPAA.

Under HIPAA, covered entities must sign a Business Associate Agreement with any third-party vendors that handle PHI. As an open-source platform, Joomla does not enter into BAAs. Top

hipaadigital.com

Understanding the Limitations of Joomla in HIPAA Compliance

Alexander Bentley-Sutherland

HIPAA Digital™ - HIPAA Compliant IT Systems, Websites & Cyber Security

Alexander Bentley-Sutherland

What to do if you're concerned your website might not be HIPAA Compliant

HIPAA Digital are a complete 3-in-one done for you solution, so that you never need worry again about your website, hosting or Business Associate Agreements. As well as singing a BAA we also make sure all of your BAAs relating to your website and marketing activities are signed by the relevant providers, and available in your dashboard for as and when they are needed

Our friendly account managers talk your language, we all have significant experience in digital healthcare and won't bamboozle you with technical jargon. During your free consultation we'll work out whats wrong, fix it, and make sure you are fully compliant going forwards