How to Make Microsoft 365 HIPAA-Compliant

For healthcare providers and organizations required to handle sensitive protected health information (PHI), ensuring HIPAA compliance in digital communications is critical.

While technology has improved significantly since the explosion of PCs in the 1990s, seminal Microsoft applications such as Word, Excel, and Outlook are as widely used and popular as ever. The current incarnation, Microsoft 365, is favored by many healthcare companies due to its renowned simplicity and accessibility – but it doesn’t meet HIPAA requirements straight out of the box.

With this in mind, this post will walk you through why Microsoft 365 isn’t inherently HIPAA-compliant, the steps required to achieve compliance, and how the LuxSci Secure Email Gateway provides a simple solution to the often-complex challenge of making Microsoft 365 HIPAA-compliant.

Why Microsoft 365 is Not HIPAA-compliant by Default

Before we detail how to make Microsoft 365 HIPAA-compliant, let us explain why it fails to meet HIPAA regulatory standards out-of-the-box.

• Non-Compliant Versions: first and foremost, not all versions of Microsoft 365 even support HIPAA-compliance needs, so your first port of call of determining whether the version deployed within your organization allows for the secure and compliant use of protected health information PHI.
• Unverified Encryption: While Microsoft 365 provides the required encryption of data in both transit (when sent to patients and customers) and at rest (when stored in data centers), it’s up to the healthcare company to verify their protocols as per the HIPAA Security Rule.
• Insufficient Security Controls: similarly, Microsoft 365 possesses the necessary controls to meet HIPAA compliance but they’re not configured for the secure handling of PHI by default.
• No Business Associate Agreement (BAA) by default: unlike notable platforms, such as Mailchimp, Microsoft is willing to sign a BAA: a crucial requirement for HIPAA compliance, as a third party handling your company’s PHI. However, the BAA isn’t active until executed by both parties.

Steps for Making Microsoft 365 HIPAA-compliant

Fortunately, you can use Microsoft 365 for your healthcare email communications and marketing campaigns without suffering the penalties of falling out of HIPAA non-compliance, which include operational obstructions, financial penalties, and damage to your company’s standing within the industry and with patients and customers.

Here’s how to make Microsoft 365 HIPAA-compliant:

1. Purchase a HIPAA-compliant Microsoft 365 subscription

If you don’t already have one deployed, upgrade to a version of Microsoft that’s designed for HIPAA compliance, i.e., features the required security and compliance components.

These include:

• Microsoft 365 Business Premium
• Microsoft 365 E3
• Microsoft 365 E5

Conversely, the following versions do not support HIPAA compliance:

• Microsoft 365 Personal/Family
• Microsoft 365 Business Basic
• Microsoft 365 Apps for Business

2. Sign a BAA

Obtain an BAA, so your and Microsoft’s responsibilities in regards to the handling of sensitive patient data is legally documented.

3. Configure Security Settings to Meet HIPAA Standards

Ensure the appropriate security policies and controls are in place to facilitate the safe and compliant processing of patient data.

This includes the implementation of:

• A comprehensive risk analysis, to determine and categorize threats to PHI.
• Robust access control policies (e.g., role-based access control (RBAC)) to limit access to personnel who are allowed to handle PHI
• Data Loss Prevention (DLP) policies, to detect and restrict the sharing of PHI.
• Continuous monitoring, logging, and auditing processes to track the access, modification, and transmission of PHI.

You can read the full instructions for correctly configuring Microsoft 365 to make it HIPAA-compliant in this comprehensive document published by Microsoft.

4. Enable Encryption by Default

A key requirement of making Microsoft 365 HIPAA-compliant is ensuring all emails are encrypted automatically. This is due to the fact that some encrypted emails sent from Microsoft 365 are incompatible with the security settings of the recipient email server. Consequently, the recipient can’t read the encrypted message and they’re unable to engage with your communications – no matter how carefully crafted or personalized.

Fortunately, this can be quickly remediated by configuring Microsoft 365 to route through a HIPAA-compliant email delivery service, like LuxSci, which features automated encryption and makes sure your healthcare emails reach the patients and customers without issue and in compliance.

Why Choose LuxSci Secure Email Gateway for HIPAA-Compliant Microsoft 365 Email

Despite the capabilities, not to mention comfort and convenience that Microsoft 365 offers, healthcare companies can understandably be wary of using it for patient and customer engagment campaigns using and including PHI – because the configuration required to make it HIPAA-compliant can be intricate and time-consuming.

Fortunately, the LuxSci Secure Email Gateway solution is designed to streamline the process. LuxSci can be directly integrated with your Microsoft 365 implementation to provide robust security features that exceed HIPAA requirements, ensuring compliance for your healthcare engagement efforts while keeping patient and customer data safe.

Features include:

• End-to-End Encryption: Protects PHI both in transit and at rest, ensuring end-to-end security regardless of the recipient’s email server.
• Comprehensive Audit and Tracking: Detailed auditing and tracking of all Microsoft 365 email communications, making it easy to monitor who accesses what information and when, a crucial component for HIPAA compliance.
• Customizable Security Policies: Advanced controls and policies, which enable the configuration of automated safeguards that enforce HIPAA-compliant email practices across your organization.
• User-Friendly Design: While maintaining high-security standards, LuxSci’s interface is intuitive, making it easy for your staff to securely communicate with patients without added friction or complexity.
• Automatated Secure Sending: Communications containing PHI can be automatically routed through secure channels, so there’s no risk of accidental insecure sending. Consequently, there’s no action required by employees to guarantee encryption and HIPAA compliance.
• Best-in-Class Customer Support for Compliance Needs: As the most experienced provider of secure HIPAA-compliant healthcare communications, LuxSci has acquired a reputation for providing the highest standard of support in the industry. Our skilled team provides comprehensive support that helps healthcare providers, payers and suppliers navigate the challenges and complications on the road to full HIPAA compliance.

If you’d like to learn more about making Microsoft 365 HIPAA-compliant with LuxSci Secure Email Gateway, contact us today!