HITRUST vs. HIPAA: The Similarities and Difference
HIPAA Compliance Audit & Attestation Services
Our HIPAA Compliance Audit & Attestation Service Offerings are designed to support organizations at different stages of their compliance and assurance journey
Why it matters
Organizations handling protected health information (PHI) face several challenges in achieving and maintaining HIPAA compliance.
Limited clarity on HIPAA Security, Privacy, and Breach Notification Rule applicability
Fragmented security and privacy controls across systems and vendors
us regulations like HIPAA and GDPR.
Inconsistent risk assessments and documentation gaps
Limited executive visibility into compliance and breach exposure
Audit readiness challenges for customers, regulators, and partners
Our Approach
FIve step approach
Our HIPAA engagements follow a structured and transparent lifecycle to guide organizations through every stage of HIPAA compliance assessment and validation.
Scoping & Applicability Assessment
Define PHI flows, systems, locations, and regulatory applicability.
Detailed HIPAA Control Assessment
Evaluate administrative, physical, and technical safeguards.Identify compliance gaps, risk severity, and remediation priorities.
Remediation Advisory
Practical guidance to close gaps and strengthen controls.
Independent Validation, Audit, & Attestation
Issue a HIPAA compliance assessment report and certification letter.
Continuous compliance & Executive Briefing
To ensure that compliance is maintained, monitored, and defensible over time. Leadership-level summary of compliance posture and risk exposure.
Service offerings
Our HIPAA Compliance Audit & Attestation Services Offerings are designed to support organizations at different stages of their compliance and assurance journey – ranging from readiness and assurance to sustained organizational awareness. Each service can be delivered independently or as part of an integrated compliance program.
Our HIPAA Readiness Assessment helps organizations determine HIPAA applicability, evaluate current-state compliance, and identify gaps across administrative, physical, and technical safeguards. Scope includes:
HIPAA Privacy Rule and Security Rule applicability assessment
Evaluation of administrative, physical, and technical safeguards
HIPAA Breach Notification Rule readiness review
Risk analysis and risk management assessment
Review of policies, procedures, and supporting documentation
Business Associate Agreement (BAA) and PHI flow validation
Our HIPAA Audit & Attestation service provides independent validation of HIPAA compliance and is designed to align seamlessly with SOC 2 Type I and Type II attestation engagements, enabling a unified assurance approach.
Scope includes:
Independent assessment of HIPAA Privacy, Security, and Breach Notification Rules
Validation of control design and operating effectiveness
Evidence-based testing aligned with audit and attestation standards
Mapping of HIPAA requirements to SOC 2 Trust Services Criteria, where applicable
Issuance of a HIPAA audit report and attestation / compliance letter
Our organizational-level HIPAA awareness services strengthen compliance culture across the enterprise.
Scope includes:
HIPAA awareness sessions for leadership and workforce
Role-based training aligned to HIPAA responsibilities
Validation of workforce understanding and acknowledgment
Awareness support aligned with audit and compliance expectations
BENEFITS
Organizations leveraging SISA’s HIPAA services realize measurable, customer-driven outcomes that go beyond compliance checklists:
Actionable Compliance Readiness
Achieve a clear baseline of HIPAA compliance through the HIPAA Readiness Assessment Report, enabling organizations to address gaps proactively before audits or attestation.
Independent, Audit-Ready Assurance
Obtain HIPAA Audit Reports and SOC 2–aligned attested reports, providing evidence-based assurance to regulators, customers, and partners.
Sustained Operational Compliance
Embed continuous compliance and workforce awareness, ensuring that controls remain effective, risks are mitigated proactively, and organizational policies are consistently applied.
Executive Visibility and Risk Insight
Leadership receives clear, concise insights into compliance posture, risk exposure, and remediation progress, enabling informed decisions and effective governance.
Enhanced Trust and Market Confidence
Demonstrate to patients, partners, and stakeholders that PHI is protected, compliance is verifiable, and organizational processes meet industry standards—supporting customer retention and business growth.
WHY SISA
SISA’s HIPAA services are grounded in a forensic-driven, audit-led, and industry-informed assurance philosophy. Our approach goes beyond checklist-based compliance to deliver assurance that is regulator-aligned, evidence-driven, and operationally meaningful.
Forensic-Driven Thought Process:
SISA brings a forensic mindset to HIPAA assessments and audits, evaluating controls through the lens of how they would withstand a real-world security or privacy incident.
Unified Audit Approach:
SISA applies a Unified Audit Approach that aligns HIPAA requirements with overlapping control objectives across these frameworks to eliminate duplicate testing and fragmented audits and deliver consistent, enterprise-wide assurance outcomes
Risk-based, Evidence-Centric & Audit-Defensible Delivery:
All SISA HIPAA engagements are executed with audit and attestation readiness as a core design principle with evidence-backed validation of control design and structured documentation suitable for audits, customer reviews, and regulatory inquiries
Executive-Ready Outcomes:
Our reporting is designed to serve multiple stakeholders simultaneously providing executives with clear insight into compliance posture, security teams with actionable findings and customers and partners with credible assurance artifacts
Multi-location delivery and integrated GRC expertise:
Our proven delivery across multi-location and cloud environments is complemented by deep expertise in integrating HIPAA into enterprise GRC and cybersecurity programs.
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FAQs
HIPAA compliance requires healthcare organizations and their business associates to implement physical, network, and process security measures to protect electronic Protected Health Information (ePHI) from unauthorized access or data breaches.
The framework is built on three primary components: the Privacy Rule (governing use and disclosure), the Security Rule (mandating technical safeguards for ePHI), and the Breach Notification Rule.
A Business Associate is any third-party vendor or service provider (such as cloud hosts, billing services, or IT consultants) that handles, stores, or processes ePHI on behalf of a primary healthcare provider (the Covered Entity).
The Security Rule specifies the operational framework required to protect ePHI. It mandates three types of safeguards: Administrative (policies and training), Physical (facility access), and Technical (encryption and access controls).
Yes, conducting an accurate and thorough organizational risk analysis is a foundational and mandatory requirement under the HIPAA Security Rule to identify vulnerabilities to the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of ePHI.
A breach is the acquisition, access, use, or disclosure of protected health information in a manner not permitted under the Privacy Rule, which compromises the security or privacy of the data (e.g., a ransomware attack or insider theft).
Penalties are tiered based on the level of negligence, ranging from $137 to over $68,000 per violation, with an annual maximum of $2 million. Willful neglect can also lead to criminal charges and severe reputational damage.
SISA conducts comprehensive HIPAA risk assessments. We evaluate your technical defenses, administrative policies, and physical safeguards, helping you align with the HIPAA Security Rule to protect patient data and avoid severe regulatory penalties.
The healthcare industry is the primary focus of HIPAA, including hospitals, clinics, and health insurance providers. However, it also strictly applies to the IT, SaaS, and cloud hosting industries that serve as "Business Associates" handling electronic Protected Health Information (ePHI) on behalf of healthcare providers.