{"id":27520,"date":"2025-04-21T01:55:00","date_gmt":"2025-04-21T01:55:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.syscreations.ca\/blog\/?p=27520"},"modified":"2025-04-21T12:34:25","modified_gmt":"2025-04-21T12:34:25","slug":"healthcare-pia","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.syscreations.ca\/blog\/healthcare-pia\/","title":{"rendered":"Why is PIA in Healthcare Very Important in 2024 and Beyond?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><span style=\"color:#7b68ee\" class=\"has-inline-color\">In the last year, we received more than 50 inquiries for healthcare PIA.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"color:#7b68ee\" class=\"has-inline-color\">The first question almost all of them asked was <strong>whether is it mandatory to carry out PIA<\/strong>.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>You must also have the same question as everyone believes PIA is a total waste of time <strong>until they waste more time, effort, and even money by not trying PIA<\/strong>!&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"color:#7b68ee\" class=\"has-inline-color\">Anyway, we being Canada\u2019s top PIA consultants understand the gravity of PIA.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"color:#7b68ee\" class=\"has-inline-color\">Thus, we\u2019ll not leave any stone unturned to clear all of your doubts related to PIA.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Let\u2019s start with the basics.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h1><strong>What is PIA in Healthcare?&nbsp;<\/strong><\/h1>\n\n\n\n<p>PIA (Privacy Impact Assessment) is an assessment process where you assess your entire healthcare organization including <strong>software, apps, systems, policies, business relationships, and business processes<\/strong> to discover the privacy vulnerability your organization has.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"color:#7b68ee\" class=\"has-inline-color\">You have to carry out PIA as per the guidelines provided by local authorities.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"color:#7b68ee\" class=\"has-inline-color\">For instance, the Office of Information and Privacy Commissioner of Alberta provides the PIA document with several questions regarding your privacy policies and privacy measures.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>You have to answer every question in a very descriptive manner with lots of <strong>workflow attachments<\/strong> and submit the PIA document to the privacy commissioner to get approval.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"color:#7b68ee\" class=\"has-inline-color\">If PIA is not mandatory in any region (unlike Alberta under section 64 of the Health Information Act), you can carry out PIA and keep a PIA document with you.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2><strong>Why Should I Carry Out PIA If It Is Not Mandatory In My Region?&nbsp;<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"color:#7b68ee\" class=\"has-inline-color\">Well, PIA should be carried out not because of any legal obligation, but because of how it protects the data you have and avoid a data breach.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>When you carry out PIA, you come to know the <strong>different unattended and hidden privacy vulnerabilities<\/strong> your organization has.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"color:#7b68ee\" class=\"has-inline-color\">Once you know the privacy vulnerabilities your organization has, you attempt to eliminate those vulnerabilities to make your organization and its data secure.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Thus, you must carry out PIA for the sake of patients\u2019 private information and overall data confidentiality and privacy.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2><strong>How Do PIA Consultants Help You Carry Out PIA?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Carrying out PIA and documenting everything as per the suggested format is a <strong>tedious and time-consuming task<\/strong>.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"color:#7b68ee\" class=\"has-inline-color\">It is also crucial for you to know the most efficient way to solve a privacy issue once you discover it with PIA.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Thus, <strong>to save time and avoid rework<\/strong>, it is advisable to hire PIA consultants or experts.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The following are the top roles and responsibilities of PIA consultants.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul><li><em><span style=\"color:#dd0055\" class=\"has-inline-color\">Deep-dive analysis of your organization\u2019s IT infrastructure, administrative policies, workflows, business policies, etc.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/span><\/em><\/li><li><em><span style=\"color:#dd0055\" class=\"has-inline-color\">Find out applicable data privacy laws&nbsp;<\/span><\/em><\/li><li><em><span style=\"color:#dd0055\" class=\"has-inline-color\">Decode each law\u2019s requirements around PIA&nbsp;<\/span><\/em><\/li><li><em><span style=\"color:#dd0055\" class=\"has-inline-color\">Carry out PIA<\/span><\/em><\/li><li><em><span style=\"color:#dd0055\" class=\"has-inline-color\">List different ways to eliminate each privacy issue&nbsp;<\/span><\/em><\/li><li><em><span style=\"color:#dd0055\" class=\"has-inline-color\">Select the most efficient way to eliminate each privacy issue&nbsp;<\/span><\/em><\/li><li><em><span style=\"color:#dd0055\" class=\"has-inline-color\">Prepare PIA report as per suggested format<\/span><\/em><\/li><li><em><span style=\"color:#dd0055\" class=\"has-inline-color\">Coordinate with local authorities including privacy commissioners&nbsp;<\/span><\/em><\/li><li><em><span style=\"color:#dd0055\" class=\"has-inline-color\">Answer counter questions of the privacy commissioner&nbsp;<\/span><\/em><\/li><li><em><span style=\"color:#dd0055\" class=\"has-inline-color\">Manage PIA document and keep it updated&nbsp;<\/span><\/em><\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2><strong>How To Complete PIA?&nbsp;<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The Ontario Privacy Commissioner has suggested a simple process to complete PIA seamlessly and accurately.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"aligncenter size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1200\" height=\"300\" src=\"https:\/\/www.syscreations.ca\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/How-To-Complete-PIA-.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-35706\"\/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p><strong><span style=\"color:#dd0055\" class=\"has-inline-color\">Step #1: Preliminary Analysis<\/span>&nbsp;<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>PIA consultants determine if your healthcare organization or healthcare project involves the collection, usage, and disclosure of patients\u2019 personal information.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong><span style=\"color:#dd0055\" class=\"has-inline-color\">Step #2: Project Analysis<\/span>&nbsp;<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>PIA consultants later collect important information about the healthcare project such as key players, stakeholders, and how and under which circumstances their personal information is being collected, used, and shared. For better understanding, PIA consultants study business process diagrams and personal information flow.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong><span style=\"color:#dd0055\" class=\"has-inline-color\">Step #3: Privacy Analysis<\/span><\/strong>&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>PIA consultants identify the potential privacy risks and how they affect overall privacy with the help of data gathered in the last step.&nbsp; They also find out the different ways to eliminate each privacy risk and which is the most efficient way of all.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong><span style=\"color:#dd0055\" class=\"has-inline-color\">Step #4: PIA Report<\/span> <\/strong>&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>PIA consultants prepare the PIA report by documenting all found privacy risks and suggested solutions as per the official PIA report format.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2><strong>Why is Healthcare PIA More Important than Ever in 2024 and Beyond?<\/strong>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>PIA in the healthcare industry has always been vitally important for the privacy of ePHI.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"color:#7b68ee\" class=\"has-inline-color\">But due to the pandemic, the healthcare industry got a sudden makeover and prioritized data privacy and security over anything else.<\/span>&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In other words, the unprecedented challenges and incidents our healthcare industry has gone through in 2020 put PIA in the <strong>spotlight<\/strong> and made it more <strong>urgent<\/strong> than ever!&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The following are the top reasons why you should put extra emphasis on PIA.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul><li><strong><span style=\"color:#dd0055\" class=\"has-inline-color\">Increasing user awareness around data privacy<\/span>&nbsp;<\/strong><\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Users are now equipped with the highest state of awareness around data privacy as they don\u2019t want their data to be released as a result of human negligence.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Thus, they now select the service provider and even product based on the privacy record of the organization and the privacy mechanism an organization has in place to protect user\u2019s private data.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul><li><strong><span style=\"color:#dd0055\" class=\"has-inline-color\">An increasing number of cyberattacks on healthcare organizations<\/span>&nbsp;<\/strong><\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Healthcare has always been the soft target for hackers as healthcare entities are notorious for storing very valuable data without any adequate safeguards.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>As per several reports, the healthcare industry witnessed more cyberattacks in 2020 than the total healthcare cyberattacks reported in the last 5 years.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>With PIA, you can\u2019t completely kill the scope of cyberattacks on your healthcare organization as hackers have the key to every lock. But it surely eliminates all easy entry points and turns a paradise into hell for hackers!&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul><li><strong><span style=\"color:#dd0055\" class=\"has-inline-color\">The government seems more interested in PIA<\/span>&nbsp;<\/strong><\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>In section 64 of Alberta\u2019s HIA, it is clearly mentioned that custodians must conduct PIA.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Meaning, to be compliant with HIA, a healthcare entity must execute PIA!&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Under PHIPA in Ontario, PIA isn\u2019t mandatory. But it is mentioned as this:&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThey (healthcare entities) are required to take steps that are reasonable to ensure that personal health information in their custody or control is protected against theft, loss, and unauthorized use or disclosure and to ensure that records containing personal health information are protected against unauthorized copying, modification or disposal.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Interestingly, healthcare entities can only address this requirement of PHIPA with PIA!&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Considering market development, we are anticipating that the Canadian government will make PIA legally mandatory in the wake of rising cyberattacks on healthcare organizations!&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2><strong>What is the Cost of Carrying Out PIA?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>We can\u2019t tell you the <strong>precise cost<\/strong> as it largely depends on your project.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But we can surely tell you that PIA consultants charge you in any one of these two ways.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"color:#7b68ee\" class=\"has-inline-color\">They will either charge you on an hourly basis or charge you a fixed amount for the entire project.<\/span>&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2><strong>We\u2019re Local Canadian Healthcare PIA Experts. Let\u2019s Have a Productive Discussion<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>We have been dealing with Healthcare PIA\/TRA and compliance <strong>for more than 8 years and earned ultimate expertise<\/strong> that benefits our healthcare clients in terms of time, cost, and effort.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"color:#7b68ee\" class=\"has-inline-color\">Our dedicated local PIA consultants are well aware of the Canadian healthcare market, compliance requirements of different provinces, PIA\/TRA requirements, and other best practices.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>We always believe in serving <strong>peace of mind<\/strong> to our clients by shouldering all their challenges.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"color:#7b68ee\" class=\"has-inline-color\">The major reason we can help our healthcare clients with their <strong>technical, business, and compliance pain<\/strong> is our healthcare-specific knowledge and 8+ years of experience only in the Canadian and US healthcare industry.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>You can check out our most recent and most epic <a href=\"https:\/\/www.syscreations.ca\/how-to-execute-pia\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><strong><span style=\"color:#7b68ee\" class=\"has-inline-color\"><u>case study on PIA<\/u><\/span><\/strong><\/a> to understand our action plan and the values we guarantee to deliver.&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>In the last year, we received more than 50 inquiries for healthcare PIA. The first question almost all of them asked was whether is it mandatory to carry out PIA. You must also have the same question as everyone believes PIA is a total waste of time until they waste more time, effort, and even [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":27522,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[12],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v16.1.1 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Why PIA in Healthcare Very Important in 2024 and Beyond?<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Clear all doubts related to healthcare PIA, roles and responsibilities of PIA consultants, how do I complete PIA, and why is PIA important.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.syscreations.ca\/blog\/healthcare-pia\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Healthcare PIA: A Detailed Guide\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Including how much it costs \u2026\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.syscreations.ca\/blog\/healthcare-pia\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"SyS Creations - IT Management, Compliance &amp; 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