Healthcare
Solid security consulting focused on helping organizations maintain the security and confidentiality of the sensitive ePHI they store, process and transmit.
Healthcare Cybersecurity Risk & Compliance Services
We work alongside hospitals, health systems, and healthcare service providers to build stronger cybersecurity defenses and reduce operational risks in today's evolving threat landscape. Our approach combines thorough security testing, detailed risk assessments, and customized year-round programs built for healthcare's unique challenges. We help clients pinpoint and address the vulnerabilities that matter most—those that could threaten operations, expose patient information, or interrupt the essential care their communities rely on.
Our team brings over 20 years of specialized experience within the healthcare landscape, combining deep knowledge of clinical technology environments, regulatory frameworks like HIPAA, HITECH, and FDA guidelines, and emerging cyber threats targeting healthcare infrastructure. We don't just identify risks—we transform visibility into actionable strategy, providing clear remediation roadmaps and ongoing support that enable healthcare organizations to protect their systems, satisfy compliance requirements, and build resilience against both current and evolving threats.
Whether you're managing electronic health records and medical devices, telemedicine platforms, or connected clinical systems, we're committed to helping you secure the infrastructure that protects patient safety and enables quality care delivery.
Services and Solutions Specific to the Your Industry
Healthcare (HIPAA) Compliance Assessment
Is Your Protected Health Information Really Secure?
Each year, medical organizations nationwide experience breaches of electronic protected health information (ePHI). What's even more troubling? Thousands of organizations share the same vulnerabilities, they just haven't been exploited yet. Could yours be one of them? How confident are you in where your protected health information resides, how it's safeguarded, and whether your defenses will hold?
Discover Where Your Data Actually Lives
Many healthcare auditing firms claim to conduct comprehensive HIPAA Security Rule, Breach, and Privacy reviews. But when they're finished, can you truly say you know where all your protected health information is stored, how it's maintained, and what protections are actively working to keep it safe?
Our HIPAA Audit Protocol takes a different approach. We conduct an exhaustive examination of your people, processes, technologies (including EHR/EMR systems), and environments. We identify and evaluate risks to your ePHI, then provide actionable recommendations that give you genuine confidence in your patient data security.
Partner with Experts Who Stand Beside You
Unlike auditors who simply deliver a report and move on, we're committed to being your ally throughout the remediation process. Our team provides in-depth briefings tailored to C-suite executives, technical staff, and board members alike. We've guided leading medical organizations and healthcare retailers through complex remediation plans, delivering practical, actionable advice that resonates with both technical and non-technical teams.
Healthcare Security Assessment
A Core Element of a Strong Security Programs
Our Healthcare Security Assessment is a specialized adaptation of our flagship Penetration Testing service, specifically designed for hospitals, clinics, and healthcare organizations. This assessment aligns closely with industry-recognized frameworks including the Open-Source Security Testing Methodology (OSSTM) and the Penetration Testing Execution Standard (PTES), while addressing the unique security challenges facing healthcare environments.
In addition to the core components of our Penetration Testing service, this healthcare-focused assessment includes two critical activities tailored to medical facilities: Medical Device Network Segmentation Testing and Clinical Systems Security Auditing. As with all of our enterprise solutions, the engagement concludes with a formal presentation and executive briefing to your organization's stakeholders.
The Foundation of Every Security Program
Penetration testing, alongside risk assessments, forms the cornerstone of any effective security program and should be performed at least annually by every healthcare organization. While a risk assessment documents your security controls and their intended operation, a penetration test validates whether those controls actually work as designed in real-world conditions. These two complementary activities work in tandem: the risk assessment tells you what you think you have in place, while the penetration test proves what's actually protecting your environment.
Together, they provide the complete picture necessary to protect patient data, ensure operational continuity, and maintain the trust of those you serve. Building your security program's foundation on the annual completion of both activities isn't just a best practice—it's essential to understanding and managing your true security posture.
Regulatory and Insurance Considerations
Regulatory Considerations
The stakes for healthcare organizations extend beyond security best practices. Failing to conduct regular penetration testing and risk assessments carries significant regulatory and financial consequences. From a compliance standpoint, HIPAA requires regular security assessments, and OCR (Office for Civil Rights) audits increasingly scrutinize whether organizations are actively testing their defenses. Organizations without documented, recent penetration tests face heightened penalties in the event of a breach, as they cannot demonstrate due diligence in protecting protected health information (PHI).
Healthcare Critical Controls Risk Assessment
Our Critical Controls Risk Assessment provides healthcare organizations with comprehensive evaluation of security controls protecting electronic Protected Health Information (ePHI). This assessment delivers strategic visibility into your control design and effectiveness across people, processes, technologies, and physical environments.
Regulatory Context
The HIPAA Security Rule (45 CFR § 164.308(a)(1)(ii)(A)) mandates that covered entities and business associates conduct accurate and thorough risk analyses to identify potential risks and vulnerabilities to the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of ePHI. Recent Office for Civil Rights (OCR) investigations and enforcement actions have repeatedly cited organizations for failure to perform adequate risk assessments, resulting in significant penalties and corrective action plans. OCR has emphasized that incomplete or inaccurate risk analyses leave organizations unable to implement appropriate safeguards, making this assessment a critical compliance requirement.
Our Approach
We evaluate your security posture across four key dimensions:
People – Workforce training, awareness, and access management
Processes – Policies, procedures, and operational controls
Technologies – Technical safeguards and system configurations
Environments – Physical security and facility protections
Framework Flexibility
Our methodology is framework-agnostic, allowing us to align with your preferred standard or compliance requirements. We work seamlessly with industry-recognized frameworks including NIST Cybersecurity Framework, CIS Controls (Top 18), ISO/IEC 27001, or your organization's customized framework. This flexibility ensures the assessment integrates with your existing security program while meeting all regulatory obligations.
Deliverables
You'll receive a prioritized risk register, gap analysis, and actionable remediation roadmap to strengthen your security posture and demonstrate compliance readiness.For core security issues identified, we provide both OPex and CAPex context to support informed budgeting and resource allocation decisions.
[Healthcare Case Study] PCI DSS 4.0.1 Compliance Assessment for Multi-Division Healthcare Provider
The Challenge
A large healthcare service provider with multiple business divisions serving millions of individuals across the United States faced significant compliance and security risks. The organization processed payment card transactions across numerous business divisions and payment channels but lacked complete visibility into all payment processing touchpoints within their enterprise.
This limited visibility into their cardholder data environment created heightened risk of non-compliance with the new PCI DSS 4.0.1 standard and raised the possibility that critical systems lacked adequate security protections. The organization required a comprehensive assessment to establish complete visibility into all locations where cardholder data is stored, transmitted, and processed across their complex organizational structure.
The Approach
Compliance Audit & Discovery
Contextual Security Solutions' Qualified Security Assessors (QSAs) conducted a thorough investigation through comprehensive documentation review, personnel interviews, systems and application examinations, and environment assessments. This deep dive into payment card processes across all business divisions enabled the QSAs to develop a solid understanding of the organization's complete cardholder data environment and deliver sound, comprehensive recommendations tailored to bring the organization into full PCI DSS compliance.
Prioritized Remediation
The QSAs developed a detailed remediation plan following the PCI SSC's prioritized approach, providing the organization with a clear, structured path to compliance that addressed critical gaps first while managing the scale and complexity of their multi-division operations.
Integrated Security Testing
The engagement included comprehensive security testing:
Penetration Testing | Identified exploitable vulnerabilities across systems and applications throughout the enterprise
Segmentation Testing | Validated network controls and mapped all ingress/egress points into the cardholder data environment across their complex network infrastructure
The Results
Contextual Security Solutions' integrated approach—combining expert QSA guidance, comprehensive discovery, prioritized remediation, and security testing—enabled this large healthcare organization to quickly and efficiently identify compliance and security gaps across their multi-division enterprise. The organization successfully reduced operational scope, achieved adherence to PCI DSS 4.0.1 standards, and established a foundation for ongoing security management at scale.
Healthcare Cadence of Security Tasks
Solidify your information security program through the consistent execution of applicable security & compliance tasks.
The HIPAA Audit Protocol and HITRUST include a number of tasks that are required to be performed following a defined cadence.
Security Tasks to be performed Periodically
Risk Assessment (164.308(a)(1)(iia)(HISTRUST 03.a-d) | Assess Risk to ePHI and ePHI Systems.
Penetration Test / Security Assessment (HITRUST 05.h) | Independent review of information security.
Incident Response Training (164.308(a)(6)(ii) | Security Incident Procedures / Response and Reporting Review.
Facility Access Controls and Plan Review (16.310(a)(2)(ii)(HITRUST 05.h) | Facility Access Controls / Facility Security Plan Review.
Contingency Plan Training and Testing (164.308(a)(7)(i) | Contingency Plan Review.
Data Backup and Storage Review (164.310(d)(2)(iv) | Device and Media Controls / Data Backup and Storage Procedures Review.
Emergency Access Procedures Review (164.312(a)(2)(ii) | Access Control / Emergency Access Procedure Review.
Contextual Security Solutions can assist your organization with these tasks, keeping you on track with your compliance initiatives.
