Do you use a WordPress website that handles electronic protected health information (ePHI)? Unfortunately, WordPress is not inherently HIPAA-compliant. Fortunately, there’s no need to look elsewhere.
This list features the best WordPress hosting platforms to use when handling sensitive healthcare information.
5 Top HIPAA-Compliant WordPress Hosting Providers:
Understanding WordPress Hosting and HIPAA Compliance
WordPress is not HIPAA compliant unless configured to meet compliance standards. You’re putting your organization at risk of violating the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) if you use it to create, collect, transmit, or store ePHI.
However, you can take steps to enable HIPAA compliance on the popular web content management system. One of these is partnering with a HIPAA-compliant WordPress hosting tool. By choosing to host your website on a secure hosting service, you help ensure data privacy and follow strict legal requirements.
1. Atlantic.net
The award-winning Atlantic.net usually tops the best HIPAA-compliant hosting providers list. All its subscription plans are HIPAA compliant with available Business Associate Agreements (BAA). Its users usually mention excellent speed, stability, consistency, affordability, and simplicity in their reviews.
Features:
- SOC 2 or SOC 3-compliant intrusion prevention service to monitor for unauthorized access
- Fully managed firewall with round-the-clock monitoring
- Encrypted VPN with SSL web certificates
- Disaster recovery and AES 256-bit encrypted offsite backup
- HIPAA and HITECH audited
- Log management solution to collect, store, analyze, and manage log data
- Quick WordPress installation housed on LAMP stack using Ubuntu 16.04 Long Term Support
- 24/7 customer service
- Free trial with $250 credit
2. Liquid Web
If you’re looking for a trusted HIPAA-compliant WordPress hosting solution, include Liquid Web in your list. It garnered PCMag’s Editors’ Choice for excellent hosting service. It helps with your website’s administrative support tasks, which is especially helpful for large businesses. However, it may be a pricier option for small businesses and individual users.
Features:
- Nexcess delivers managed hosting
- 15 GB – 800 GB storage depending on your plan
- Free migrations to Liquid Web
- Automatic plugin updates and SSL certificates
- WooCommerce automated testing
- Excellent live chat support
- SOC 2 SSAE-22 and SOC 3 reports
- HIPAA, HITECH, and PCI DSS audited
- Transparent pricing
3. HIPAA Vault
HIPAA Vault is a fully managed WordPress hosting provider that’s designed for HIPAA compliance. With its security-focused service, you can leave the daunting task of ensuring compliance with the experts and focus on other core aspects of your business.
Features:
- Audit controls to monitor site access and protect ePHI
- HIPAA Vault manages plugin, user, and theme settings
- Forced strong passwords and two-factor authentication plug-ins to support WordPress compliance
- 24/7 customer support
- Migration services for up to 2 databases
- Updated MySQL and PHP
- Updated security plugins with round-the-clock malware scanning
- Custom solution available
4. LuxSci
A reliable name for HIPAA-compliant hosting for WordPress, LuxSci provides flexible, scalable, and secure features. It’s a fully managed web hosting service that’s applicable for organizations that need to meet compliance standards.
Features:
- Linux-based managed web hosting
- Redundant network firewalls
- Server-level anti-virus and intrusion detection
- Disk-level encryption
- Onsite and offsite automated backups
- HITRUST, SSAE 16, ISO27001, SOC 1, SOC 2, SOC 3, Safe Harbor, and CPS certified data centers
5. OVHcloud
Europe-based OVHcloud concludes our list of HIPAA-compliant WordPress hosting tools. Capterra OVHCloud reviews show that its services are easy to use with competitive pricing. However, they also say that technical support is a bit slow.
Features:
- Free domain name for one year
- Generous personal plan with 100GB disk space and 10 email addresses
- Unlimited FTP access
- Unlimited SSH access for business plan users
- Anti-DDoS protection
- Private or shared SQL
- Data backups
- Multi-domain management
Getting Started with HIPAA-Compliant WordPress Hosting
Setting up a HIPAA-compliant WordPress website involves several steps. These ensure that the hosting environment meets security and data privacy standards:
Understand HIPAA requirements
Familiarize yourself with HIPAA Security and Privacy Rules. These rules outline the standards for protecting ePHI. Make sure that your staff are also adequately trained in HIPAA requirements so you can avoid a violation.
Choose a HIPAA-compliant hosting provider
Select a hosting provider that specializes in HIPAA-compliant hosting. There are many known, reputable, and affordable WordPress hosting providers, but they may not be HIPAA-compliant. You need to know where to look.
Sign a BAA
A BAA is a legal contract that outlines your and the provider’s responsibility in securing ePHI. It’s a required document under HIPAA rules, and all providers who advertise themselves as HIPAA-compliant should be able to sign a business associate agreement.
Follow best practices for WordPress hosting and HIPAA compliance
Implement the best practices for securing your WordPress installation. Communicate with your hosting provider and follow their instructions for implementation. A fully managed hosting provider should update your themes and plugins to prevent security issues.
Choose HIPAA-Compliant WordPress Hosting
Choosing a HIPAA-compliant WordPress hosting provider is critical for healthcare providers using the popular platform to host and publish their websites.
Remember, maintaining HIPAA compliance is an ongoing process that requires a commitment to the best data privacy and security practices. Working with a hosting provider experienced in HIPAA can help simplify the process, saving you valuable time and money.
