Why HIPAA Compliance is a non-negotiable for Salesforce Electronic Signature Solutions

HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act) is a federal law in the United States that protects PHI (personal health information). If you work in the healthcare industry or as a healthcare provider then HIPAA is the gold standard of compliance. Institutions that are HIPAA compliant instill trust in patients and meet the strictest requirements of data regulation. Even if you do not work in healthcare, adhering to HIPAA is a sound business decision. Meeting this regulation demonstrates that your organization complies with the highest standards of data security.

Is Salesforce HIPAA Compliant?

Given the importance of this federal law, it comes as no surprise that Salesforce is HIPAA compliant. This gives the planet’s leading CRM the credibility it needs to manage data in Health Cloud and deploy automated digital experiences for institutions and providers. Salesforce HIPAA compliance supports the CRM’s overall drive to be the most trusted source of truth when it comes to all customer relationship management data. Salesforce compliance also extends to other industries and it adheres to all major regulatory frameworks including GDPR, ISO 27001, ISO 27017, ISO 27018, and SOC 2.

Salesforce Shield

Salesforce shield encryption is designed to protect the most sensitive data and ensure ultimate security for businesses operating within the Salesforce platform. For example, Salesforce Shield event monitoring is a feature that can swiftly detect and prevent any threats to sensitive data. Shield Salesforce features complement the CRM’s objective to provide the highest level of data security on the planet as well as meet all relevant compliance standards.

Non-Negotiable Aspects of HIPAA Compliance

HIPAA compliance is essential to any organization working in Health Cloud or the healthcare industry more generally. So what are the non-negotiable standards that HIPAA-compliant organizations should meet? 

Data Security and Privacy

The most crucial aspect of HIPAA compliance is ensuring data security and privacy of PHI (Personal Health Information). Salesforce data security and Salesforce privacy policy meet this requirement so that patient data remains 100% secure in your CRM. Meeting this compliance standard is essential in building and maintaining the trust of institutions, doctors, and patients. 

Patient Consent and Authorization

HIPAA-compliant organizations need to ensure that no sensitive data is stored or used without patient consent. Using Salesforce it is possible to create a patient consent form or patient authorization form to request permission to access Personal Health Information. 

Electronic Signatures & HIPAA Compliance in Healthcare

When it comes to being HIPAA compliant in Salesforce, all products working within your CRM should meet this regulatory requirement. Your Salesforce electronic signature and digital signature process should be no different. ESignatures for Salesforce and all sensitive documents being handled in Health Cloud need to be HIPAA compliant to ensure sensitive patient data is fully protected. Signing processes are crucial to healthcare and are required for operative reports, medical history questionnaires, doctor referrals, medical test results, and discharge summaries. Documents like this handle the most sensitive and personal patient information and it is essential that signatures in these documents are fully verifiable, authentic, and secure. 

Title 21 CFR Part 11

Salesforce eSignatures should also meet Title 21 CFR Part 11, which is an FDA regulation ensuring that e-records are as verifiable and reliable as paper records. Title 21 CFR Part 11 and HIPAA compliance work together to ensure that eSignature processes in Health Cloud are fully secure. 

2-Factor Authentication (2FA) & Single Sign-On (SSO)

Implementing Salesforce 2- 2-factor authentication and Salesforce SSO can help buffer the security of your systems and complement HIPAA regulations. Organizations that require 2FA or single sign-on before documents are signed can ensure that sensitive forms are only viewed and signed by authorized professionals. 

HIPAA Compliant Salesforce Electronic Signature Software for Healthcare

It’s important to bear in mind that Salesforce does not have its native signature tool. If you want to implement a digital signature in Salesforce or Salesforce eSignature then you need to invest in a trusted third party tool on the AppExchange. This way you will get the help and assistance you need to ensure ultimate compliance for signature processes in Health Cloud. 

Of these tools, Titan Sign stands out from the crowd for offering you complete flexibility and HIPAA compliance. This no-code tool also adheres to Title 21 CFR Part 11, GDPR, relevant ISO standards, SOC 2, and enables you to work with both eSignatures and digital signatures. So what are some of the most robust features of this signing tool? 

• You can start the signing process from a custom or standard object and integrate your signing with Salesforce Flow. You can also embed signing in a Salesforce record, list view, Mobile App, or Experience Cloud.
• Upload a document to Salesforce for signing, or work with dynamic templates generated with real-time Salesforce data. You can also sign from any existing Salesforce file.
• Work with a dynamic number of signers so your signing participants and order of signatures do not have to be set in stone until you know the requirements of your use case. 
• Verify the identity of signers in real-time and use facial recognition for utmost security.
• 2FA and SSO features to ensure that documents are only viewed and signed by the relevant parties. 
• Track all signing processes from start to finish in Salesforce, your single source of truth. 
• Update Salesforce records in real-time once the signing process is complete and save your signed document in your CRM. 
• Work with conditional logic so each signer has a personalized signing journey. This enhances user experience and efficiency. 
• Automate the entire signing process using Titan Flow. Titan Sign also integrates effortlessly with the entire Titan platform for end-to-end business processes using document generation, forms, experience builders, contract management, and more! 

Wrapping Up HIPAA Compliance for Electronic Signature Salesforce

And that’s a wrap on HIPAA compliance for electronic signature solutions in Salesforce. We hope you learned more about the importance of HIPAA compliance, especially if you work in Health Cloud, and why it’s important that your eSignature tool complies with this standard. Given that Salesforce does not have its eSignature product, it is a good idea to shop around on the AppExchange for a no-code solution that guarantees HIPAA compliance and meets the highest standards of data security. Titan Sign is one of the most solid options you can choose for your business given its impressive range of features, real-time integration with Salesforce, and intuitive set of declarative tools.