Developing an application for healthcare applications involves a survey of paperwork from different sources. As the HIPAA regulates over all such health care application based software it is critical importance that the application has both a profound list of features and comply with HIPAA guidelines. The former half of the development, no matter how challenging, can be done with efficiency. However, the latter half-involving HIPAA requirements require an intensive survey to understand and list out the guidelines. Most of the content listed on websites offering information, target healthcare providers and health insurance claim processors but not the software application developer.
This article provides information about HIPAA, the health care market, as well as the HIPAA requirements for developing a healthcare Application from the software developer’s perspective.
The Market
The healthcare IT market is at a stronger point when compared to five years ago. The forecasts suggest a big estimate for 2017 with $31.3 billion, a 7.4 percent growth when compared to the $21.9 billion in 2012. Even though strong and formidable firms crowd the industry, there is scope for small-medium companies as well. Sticking to the HIPAA regulation will offer a significant opportunity to the small and medium firms to develop their projects and software in the market.
HIPAA Background
The foundation on which the HIPAA was designed was to practice medical research and consultancy ethics. These include protecting the privacy of medical data, confidentiality between doctors in practice and hospitals about the patients, and to discourage discrimination in any form be it on the sensitivity of the data or on the medical history.
Creating Health Care Software Applications
Cloud computing and maintenance of big data on the cloud, complications with respect to the access, security, and maintenance have come into consideration. As many cloud applications are currently available for desktop, laptop, tablet and phone devices, there can be several holes, in a fairly new concept, that might expose sensitive and confidential data.
The Basics for developing healthcare software solutions
The three levels of development can be represented as, Administrative, physical and access control.
Whilst Administrative Safeguards have features such as
• Access to application
• Monitoring application log
• Dedicated Password Management
• Backup of data at a simpler location
Physical and Access control are available as
• Identify user through security system
• Automatic close of the project post saving
• Data privacy
Summary
The office of Civil Rights issued its action and will now levy a strict fee on any lack of a compliance with HIPAA, especially for healthcare organizations. This allows proper filtering and a better understanding of the current scenario and proposed plan for maintenance in the near future.
References from: Medical cost trends published by PWC
