Strategies for Ensuring HIPAA‑Compliant Data Collection in Healthcare Digital Tools

Healthcare data breaches have risen dramatically in recent years. In 2023, 133 million patient records were exposed or disclosed, and this number does not seem to go down in the foreseeable future. These are not just statistics but the reality of data storage and security issues in the healthcare sector. The HIPAA policy exists to regulate this sphere and introduce the standards to be followed. Below, we will review what the HIPAA main requirements are and what companies can do to follow them.

HIPAA basics

Let’s familiarize ourselves with the basics of the regulatory framework. The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act was enacted in 1996, amended by the HIPAA Security Rule in 2003, and the HITECH Act in 2009. Simply speaking, it is a set of guidelines for handling patients’ data responsibly and safely. Although, it is quite a vast and detailed policy that covers multiple aspects of medical and health data collecting, storing, and sharing, there are 3 essential pillars it stands on.

1. Privacy Rule: the guidelines for the use and sharing of the patient’s data.
2. Security Rule: the guidelines for the safeguarding of the patient’s data.
3. Breach Notification Rule: notify affected individuals, HHS, and the media, if needed, within 60 days of discovering a breach.

Who has to comply with these rules? There are two main categories of entities that are to comply with HIPAA to a certain degree.

Main strategies for HIPAA-compliant data collection flows

After the main terms are clarified, let's move to the procedures and key principles of HIPAA compliance. Many different nuances are covered in the policy itself. However, to save time, we are sharing 3 simple and easy-to-implement data collection strategies that will help you to stay HIPAA-compliant.

Data minimization: collect only what you need

The principle of data minimization sits at the heart of HIPAA regulations. Every field in a web form, every event captured by analytics, should serve a specific, documented purpose.

1. New patient intake forms: collect name, DOB, and insurance information - but does the scheduling form really need full SSN, parents' names, or any other information that is better to be gathered during an in-person visit?
2. Symptom checkers: capture symptom categories without requiring account creation that ties data to identifiable individuals.
3. Telehealth intake questionnaires: ask for chief complaint and relevant history, but avoid open-ended fields that invite oversharing of sensitive information.
4. Patient feedback surveys: use anonymous submission options when the feedback doesn’t require follow-up.

In short, only the required minimum for a certain goal or procedure must be collected through a form on the website or during a telehealth call.

Separating PHI and non-PHI data

Protected Health Information is the data that should be protected from both accidental and deliberate exposures. There are 3 main rules for managing it safely.

1. Separate databases: clinical data with full PHI should be kept in HIPAA-compliant storage with strict access controls; general and non-identifiable data can be stored anywhere.
2. Different API endpoints: the endpoints working with PHI should not be the same as the endpoints managing general engagement.
3. Logical segregation in analytics: configure analytics platforms to receive only the data they need - session counts, page categories, conversion events - without identifiers.

So, never mix strictly compliant data with the general information, as this may lead to breaks, leaks, and unauthorized access.

Server-side tracking as a control layer

Traditional client-side tracking (JavaScript pixels firing in the browser) creates unauthorized access risks and does not guarantee the required level of data anonymity. Server-side tracking flips the model. Instead of the browser sending data directly to Google, Meta, or any other analytical platform, the requests route through a controlled server. This, in turn, makes it possible to configure more secure access and ensure that private information does not go further.

With all this being said, what are the exact steps for ensuring HIPAA compliance with the help of server-side tracking? Let’s take Stape, one of the oldest companies in the industry, as an example, and review how the overall process looks.

1. Sign the Business Associate Agreement. BAA obliges the server-side hosting provider to be compliant with the HIPAA rules and requirements.
2. Configure your GA4 server-side tracking (insert here the name of any analytical platform you use). Ensure that only the needed people have access to the server containers and tracked data.
3. Use the Anonymizer power-up to hide or remove PHI completely. You can configure the level of anonymization yourself, depending on what result you need.

When done, you can be sure that all the data that streams through your server is processed to comply with the HIPAA requirement before it is sent to analytics.

Conclusion

Achieving HIPAA compliance is critical for any company working in the healthcare industry. It requires consistent attention to regulation changes, tools used, and new emerging threats. The 3 main strategies to ensure HIPAA compliance are to collect only the minimal required data, store PHI separately in a protected storage, and use server-side tracking. This will help you ensure the patient's data security and regulatory compliance, which is a must for any company operating in this sphere.