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Managing health data represents one of the most important challenges for modern society, as this data is extremely private and confidential. For this reason, when it comes to hosting websites or applications that process health data, it is necessary to take additional security measures to ensure data protection. Health data security is a matter of great importance not only to protect patient privacy, but also to avoid possible security breaches that could cause irreparable damage. In Italy there are many regulations and certifications that companies and professionals must adhere to in order to guarantee the security of health data, it is important to know and respect them to avoid sanctions and legal problems.
We are constantly engaged in acquiring safety certifications to ensure that our safety standards comply with Italian and European regulations. We also use advanced security tools such as data encryption to protect our customers' health data.
Our company, which has been operating in the hosting sector since 2005 as an independent vendor and therefore superpartes, has always paid great attention to data security. In particular, we have focused on the study and implementation of the technologies and requirements necessary for hosting healthcare data, in compliance with both Italian and European regulations. We are proud to be able to offer our customers a secure and reliable hosting service for their health data and a specific consultancy service for private companies and public administrations that need a "turnkey" service that is certified after the testing operation.
The importance of health data.
The term “health data” refers to any information relating to an individual's physical or mental health. Health data can include information such as medical history, test results, medical diagnoses and treatments.
Health data is considered to be particularly sensitive as it can reveal extremely private personal information about an individual. Additionally, health-related information can have a significant impact on an individual's life, both personally and professionally. For example, if a company has an individual with a serious illness among its officers or directors, disclosure of his or her health condition can affect stock prices and generate uncertainty in financial markets.
Likewise, a hypothetical patient suffering from an infectious disease could be subject to discrimination if his health condition and related pathology were made known, generating further professional, social and psychological damage to the infected patient.
Strictly speaking, the legislator and the Privacy Guarantor wanted to submit health data to very stringent regulations from a legal and technological point of view, with respect to personal data, for example.
Legal requirements for hosting health data.
In Italy, the hosting of health data is governed by various laws and regulations, including the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and the Privacy Code.
The GDPR is a European regulation that establishes rules for the protection of personal data. In particular, the GDPR establishes that health data must be treated with a high level of protection, as it is considered sensitive data. Companies that offer healthcare data hosting services must therefore adhere to the provisions of the GDPR to ensure the protection of their customers' healthcare data.
The Privacy Code is a national law that regulates the protection of personal data in Italy. The Privacy Code establishes, among other things, that health data must be treated with particular confidentiality and that only authorized persons can access them. Companies that offer health data hosting services must therefore adhere to the provisions of the Privacy Code to ensure the protection of their customers' health data.
Furthermore, Italy also has a specific law for the health sector, the Law n. 248 of 2006, which regulates the management of health data. The law establishes that health data must be treated in the strictest confidence and that only authorized persons can access this data. Furthermore, the law establishes that health data must be kept for a certain period of time and that it must be securely deleted after this period has expired.
The law also stipulates that health data can only be shared if it is necessary for medical treatment or scientific research. Furthermore, the law provides for citizens to have access to their health data and to oppose their treatment if they do not comply with the rules.
The law n.248 of 2006, also establishes the obligation to notify IT incidents that may compromise the confidentiality of health data and the appointment of the person responsible for data protection.
Legal requirements: Italian laws and regulations governing the hosting of health data.
To ensure the security of health data in Italy, it is necessary to acquire the appropriate certifications. Certifications are an important tool for demonstrating compliance with data protection regulations and best practices.
One of the most important certifications for ensuring the security of health data is the ISO 27001 certification. This certification is issued by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) and is based on an international standard for information security management. ISO 27001 certification certifies that an organization has implemented an information security management system (ISMS) that complies with the requirements of the standard.
The ISMS is a system that allows the company to manage information security risks and ensure the protection of health data. ISO 27001 certification includes an independent assessment to verify that the ISMS meets the requirements of the standard. Additionally, the certification is subject to periodic review to ensure that the ISMS continues to meet the requirements of the standard.
In addition to the ISO 27001 certification, there are other certifications that can be useful for ensuring the security of health data, such as the SOC2 certification, which verifies the security, availability, confidentiality and privacy of data in health care systems. agency.
AgID certification for public administration such as hospitals.
If it is true that in terms of private health it is "sufficient" to have specific certifications available for the processing of health data, at the level of the Public Administration at least in Italy, it is necessary to have an additional certification, i.e. the AgID certification.
The AgID certification, acronym of Agency for Digital Italy, is a certificate issued by the Italian public body AgID to certify the compliance of a product or service with the regulations and guidelines of the Digital Public Administration.
To obtain AgID certification, it is necessary to submit the product or service to a series of tests which evaluate compliance with the technical and functional requirements defined by national and Community legislation on safety, interoperability and accessibility.
Among the fundamental requirements for obtaining AgID certification are compliance with the ISO/IEC 27001 and ISO/IEC 20000-1 standards, compliance with the guidelines for the accessibility of websites and digital services, as well as compatibility with the specifications techniques of the digital infrastructures of the Public Administration.
Once AgID certification has been obtained, the product or service can be used within the Italian public administration and can be promoted as solutions that comply with the requirements of national and community legislation.
Furthermore, the AgID certification guarantees customers and end users greater security and reliability in the use of digital products and services, as well as greater compatibility with the digital infrastructures of the Public Administration.
Healthcare data hosting in Italy.
Our hosting and system consultancy service is able to offer customized solutions for the public administration and for the treatment of health data, thanks to our experience in the design, implementation and maintenance of high quality hosting services.
In particular, we are able to guarantee maximum security and reliability of our services thanks to the ISO 27001 certification, which certifies compliance with information security management requirements, and the AGID certification, which certifies compliance with technical and functional requirements defined by the Digital Public Administration.
Furthermore, partner datacenters are located in Italy and comply with the TIER V level of reliability, the highest level of security and availability set by the international Uptime Institute standard.
This means that our hosting services guarantee maximum protection of sensitive data, maximum availability and the maximum level of system redundancy, with a cutting-edge technological infrastructure and a team of highly qualified and certified experts.
In particular, we are among the few companies in Italy to issue a certificate of conformity and a declaration of conformity to the treatment of health data, both for private companies and for the public administration.
These certificates and declarations are essential to ensure maximum security and protection of sensitive data and to ensure compliance with the regulatory requirements established by Italian and European data protection laws.