Editorial Standards & Testing Methodology
We built HIPAA Tech Guide to fill a critical gap: when healthcare IT leaders evaluate software, search results are dominated by vendor marketing blogs and outdated government PDFs. Our mission is to provide the clinical rigor of Wirecutter, tailored exclusively for healthcare IT compliance.
Our Core Editorial Principles
We evaluate software strictly from the perspective of the healthcare buyer: CTOs, IT directors, and compliance officers trying to pass their next audit.
No vendor can buy a higher score, alter an editorial review, or pay to remove a compliance critique. Placement is determined solely by our scoring rubric.
We don't trust vendor feature pages. We inspect actual BAA contract language, admin consoles, and OCR enforcement databases.
The 4-Pillar Testing & Audit Methodology
Every tool, cloud provider, and software platform reviewed on our site is evaluated against four non-negotiable statutory criteria:
BAA Availability & Contract Friction
We verify whether the Business Associate Agreement is self-service or gated behind enterprise sales minimums, and review downstream subprocessor liability terms.
Encryption Standards & Key Ownership
We confirm cryptographic ciphers at rest (NIST AES-256) and in transit (TLS 1.3), along with Bring-Your-Own-Key (BYOK) and Customer-Managed Key (CMK) support.
Audit Log Depth & SIEM Export
We inspect whether access logs record user, timestamp, resource accessed, and modification type, and verify support for SIEM streaming and statutory 6-year retention.
Breach Notification Commitments
We inspect contractual notification windows. While federal law allows up to 60 days, we favor vendors offering contractual 24 to 72-hour notifications.
Reviewer Credentials & Medical/Legal Advisory
Content on HIPAA Tech Guide is written and reviewed by experienced healthcare cybersecurity practitioners holding premier professional certifications:
- • CISSP (Certified Information Systems Security Professional — (ISC)²)
- • HCISPP (HealthCare Information Security and Privacy Practitioner)
- • CISA (Certified Information Systems Auditor — ISACA)
- • Former HHS/OCR audit contractors and healthcare data privacy attorneys
Transparent Monetization & Affiliate Disclosure
To keep our buyer guides, BAA agreement templates, and risk assessments free and independent, HIPAA Tech Guide generates revenue through two ethical channels:
- Affiliate Relationships: Certain links to software tools are tracking links. If your organization purchases a software subscription through our link, we may receive a commission. This never increases the price you pay, and our editorial scoring rubric is completely firewalled from affiliate partnerships.
- Consultant Lead-Matching Service: When organizations request matching with pre-screened HIPAA compliance consultants, participating consulting firms pay a standard directory referral fee. We only partner with certified, insured advisory firms.
Report a Correction or Vendor Terms Change
HIPAA requirements, cloud service terms, and BAA agreements evolve frequently. If you notice a vendor has updated their BAA tiers or pricing, please contact our editorial desk at editorial@hipaatechguide.com.