TECHNICAL SAFEGUARDS

The technical safeguards category is made up of several security measures that specify how to use technology to protect EPHI, particularly controlling access to it. The specific standards of the technical safeguards are:

• Access control: Implementing policies and procedures for electronic information systems that contain EPHI to only allow access to persons or software programs that have appropriate access rights.

• Audit controls: Implementing hardware, software, and/or procedural mechanisms to record and examine activity in information systems that contain or use EPHI.

• Integrity: Implementing policies and procedures to protect EPHI from improper modification or destruction.

• Person or entity authentication: Implementing procedures to verify that persons or entities seeking access to EPHI are who or what they claim to be.

• Transmission security: Implementing security measures to prevent unauthorized access to EPHI that is being transmitted over an electronic communications network.