How to comply with HIPAA with the help of software testing
In an ideal scenario, healthcare applications must follow HIPAA regulations already at the software development stage. However, HIPAA compliance should become a continuous work in progress: as the software changes due to updates or enhancements, and as HIPAA requirements get more sophisticated, HIPAA compliance testing in software applications dealing with healthcare becomes a standard part of developing and testing software. But how exactly do you develop a HIPAA compliance testing plan, and what should you include in one?
It’s worth noting that there cannot be a universal testing and QA strategy for HIPAA compliance in software testing because the products themselves can be very different, and there can be different amounts of HIPAA testing done previously. This is why it’s vital to check the software documentation first to find out what has already been done in the HIPAA compliance software testing areas. Here is what else your healthcare software testing strategy needs to include if you want to ensure that the product is compliant with HIPAA.
1. Functional and non-functional testing
When you are getting ready to release a new software product or an updated version of an existing product, HIPAA compliance is not the only area that needs your attention. The compliance of the application with both non-functional and functional requirements has an immediate impact on the way the audience interacts with the product and whether the users are likely to turn into loyal customers. This, in turn, influences both the company’s reputation in the market and its revenue. So whether you do functional testing and non-functional testing simultaneously with HIPAA-related testing activities or have them precede HIPAA compliance testing, this step is not to be missed.
This stage is strongly linked to sanity testing, where the team covers major HIPAA compliance software roles and functionality to make sure they’re all there and ready for further testing.
2. Roles matrix
One of the principles of a HIPAA-compliant application is role-based access, where different categories of authorized users have different access levels. To make it happen and to test it with maximum efficiency, there needs to be a role matrix. For each role, there should be a risk analysis, which is then displayed in the matrix using color coding. Typically, red means high-risk operations, yellow indicates medium risk, and green means low risk. The healthcare software development team will usually look at a few factors to determine the risk level, including the need for information disclosure, the likelihood of errors, and how much the customers are going to be affected in the negative scenario.