HITRUST is an organization and certification whose CSF (Common Security Framework) harmonizes requirements from HIPAA, ISO 27001, NIST and other sources into one certifiable framework, dominant in US healthcare vendor assurance. Where HIPAA is the law, HITRUST certification is the market's way of proving you take it seriously. See hitrustalliance.net for the official program.
Key facts:
- Three assessment types let organizations scale assurance to their risk and customer demands: e1 (foundational), i1 (threat-adaptive) and r2 (risk-based, the most extensive).
- Assessments are performed by approved external assessor firms and validated by HITRUST. e1 and i1 certifications are valid for one year, r2 for two years.
- Demand is concentrated: US health systems and payers commonly require HITRUST from SaaS vendors handling PHI.
HITRUST vs SOC 2 vs HIPAA
HIPAA is a legal obligation with no certificate. SOC 2 is a general-purpose attestation. HITRUST is a prescriptive, scored certification built for healthcare's requirements, heavier to achieve, and often the deciding credential in US healthcare procurement. Vendors frequently carry SOC 2 first and add HITRUST when healthcare deals require it.
Where email security fits, honestly
The CSF's control categories include the territory email security occupies: threat protection, incident management, access control and third-party oversight. Sentaro contributes those operating controls and their continuous evidence in Google Workspace and Microsoft 365; scoping, policies, the assessment and the certification process remain yours.
This page is general guidance, not legal advice.