HIPAA Audit

The implementation of database audit controls to demonstrate compliance with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) Security Rule, protecting access to electronic Protected Health Information (ePHI).

• HIPAA requires covered entities and business associates to implement technical safeguards: These include access controls, audit controls, integrity controls, and transmission security for systems handling ePHI.
• Database audit controls for HIPAA must capture: Who accessed patient data, what was accessed, when the access occurred, and from where, enabling investigation of potential breaches.
• DBAs implement HIPAA-aligned auditing using: SQL Server Audit, Extended Events, or third-party compliance tools configured to monitor all SELECT, INSERT, UPDATE, and DELETE operations on ePHI tables.
• HIPAA’s Breach Notification Rule requires organizations to notify patients within 60 days of discovering a breach: Forensic-quality audit logs are essential to scope and document the incident.
• Audit logs must be protected from unauthorized modification: WORM (Write Once Read Many) storage or immutable audit repositories are considered best practices for HIPAA-compliant audit log retention.
• Relevant Idera tools: SQL Compliance Manager provides HIPAA compliance templates, continuous monitoring of ePHI table access, and tamper-evident audit trail storage.
• Related terms: FERPA Audit, SQL Server Audit, Extended Events, Data Breach, Compliance.