Earlier this week, WellPoint, Inc. announced that it has been recognized with Common Security Framework (CSF) Certified status by the Health Information Trust Alliance.
WellPoint is the largest for-profit healthcare company in the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association.
WellPoint operates across the United States, providing healthcare, through its affiliated health plans and its subsidiaries, to over one hundred million people. With its new CSF Certified status, WellPoint is now the largest company recognized by the Health Information Trust Alliance (HITRUST) under the 2013 criteria.
The HITRUST CSF Assurance Program provides health care businesses with a “common approach to manage security assessments” and is the most commonly used health care-based information security framework in the country. The CSF assurance criteria is reviewed and modified every year, as is necessary with regards to both state and federal regulations.
Since the healthcare industry’s security regulations are constantly changing, companies face greater challenges to ensure that the health and financial information of their customers is secure, whether it’s being created, accessed or stored. The HITRUST certification program offers standardized guidelines for companies to follow in order to comply with all regulations.
WellPoint is committed to adhering to these regulations in order to protect customer data. Chief information security officer Roy Mellinger says that the HITRUST CSF Assurance Program allows the company to “proactively obtain a level of assurance that [it is] appropriately managing information risk and protecting health information while demonstrating compliance internally and with third parties.”
HITRUST chief executive officer Daniel Nutkis adds, “WellPoint has been a vocal proponent of streamlining and enhancing regulatory compliance and information protection internally, across the industry and with their business partners...Obtaining CSF Certified status is confirmation of their commitment.”
Edited by
Alisen Downey
