HIPAA (the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996) is U.S. legislation created to improve healthcare standards. Covered entities and their business associates must be HIPAA compliant to protect the rights and privacy of patients and their protected health information (PHI).
We know the HIPAA industry is vast and that it is important to work well and communicate with patients while remaining HIPAA compliant.
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This is especially true with the recent move toward remote working and the increase in cyberattacks against healthcare. Today, we will determine if AlphaSense is HIPAA compliant or not.
AlphaSense is a leading market intelligence and search platform founded in 2011 in San Francisco. It uses AI and NLP (natural language processing) technology to search through millions of public and private documents to deliver comprehensive insights.
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Market intelligence consists of information like sales, customer data, survey responses, focus groups, and competitor research to drive sales. The idea is to use market intelligence companies like AlphaSense to make fast-paced, data-driven decisions.
A major part of HIPAA compliance is ensuring a business associate signs a business associate agreement (BAA). A business associate is a person or entity that performs certain functions or activities that involve the use or disclosure of PHI.
In this instance, AlphaSense is a business associate of a healthcare organization if it works with any data that includes electronic PHI (ePHI), like a name or an email address. Generally, the HIPAA Privacy Rule allows healthcare providers to disclose PHI if they receive assurance that the information is protected through a signed BAA.
There is no mention of HIPAA or a BAA on the AlphaSense website except on its blog discussing HIPAA and COVID-19.
Given that AlphaSense works with millions of documents, data protection should be one of its priorities. According to the AlphaSense security web page, the company utilizes several features:
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Furthermore, AlphaSense partners with Amazon Web Services (AWS), which means it has access to AWS’ state-of-the-art security features. Its Privacy Policy states that personal information (e.g., PHI) will only be collected if voluntarily submitted.
Moreover, users have the right to obtain confirmation about personal information and how the company uses the information.
The BAA is a key component of HIPAA compliance but AlphaSense does not appear to sign a BAA. If a data breach or HIPAA violation occurs and any PHI is accessed, the covered entity is liable.
Conclusion AlphaSense is not HIPAA compliant.