U.S. HICP (Large Practice) — Health Industry Cybersecurity Practices

Why it Matters

HICP (Large Practice) provides comprehensive cybersecurity practicestailored to healthcare organizations, helping to mitigate evolvingcyber threats and regulatory risks.

Key benefits include:

• Support compliance obligations

Helporganizations address HIPAA and regulatory mandates by aligningtechnical and administrative controls with best practices.

• Enhance threat detection and response

Enable promptidentification and remediation of cyber incidents to minimize theimpact of ransomware and other threats.

• Strengthen data protection measures

Reduce the riskof unauthorized access and breaches involving protected healthinformation through robust security guidelines.

• Promote operational continuity

Mitigate risks toclinical operations by improving preparedness and recoverycapabilities during cyber incidents or disruptions.

• Increase audit readiness

Provide a clearframework for documenting security efforts, supporting successfulcompliance assessments and external audits.

How it Works

The U.S. Health Industry Cybersecurity Practices (HICP) framework forLarge Practices structures its guidance around five key cybersecuritythreats facing healthcare organizations: e-mail phishing, ransomware,loss or theft of equipment, insider accidental or malicious dataloss, and attacks against network-connected medical devices. HICPorganizes mitigation recommendations into ten cybersecurity practiceareas, mapping these to specific technical and organizationalsafeguards relevant for large healthcare settings.

Organizations implement U.S. HICP (Large Practice) by adoptingsecurity controls and policies aligned with the ten identifiedcybersecurity practices. Typical implementation activities includeperforming risk assessments to determine threat relevance,customizing recommended safeguards to local environments, trainingworkforce members on identified threats, and integrating HICPrecommendations into existing compliance and risk managementprograms. Regular monitoring, incident response exercises, andongoing refinement of safeguards underpin effective, practicaladoption.

SmartSuite enables healthcare organizations to operationalize U.S.HICP by providing control libraries mapped to HICP practices,centralizing risk registers, and automating evidence collection foraudit readiness. Policy governance modules support the development,review, and dissemination of HICP-aligned procedures, whilecompliance tracking and remediation workflows assist in demonstratingongoing adherence and addressing gaps. Reporting dashboards offer aconsolidated view of security posture and regulatory compliancestatus.

Key Elements

• Cybersecurity Practice Categories

Organizessecurity measures into device security, identity protection, networkmanagement, and data protection areas.

• Threat and Vulnerability Safeguards

Specifiescontrols and strategies for recognizing, evaluating, and addressingmalicious activities and technical weaknesses.

• Workforce Cybersecurity Awareness

Establishesexpectations for staff education and regular training oncybersecurity responsibilities and best practices.

• Incident Response Management

Describesrequired procedures for early detection, communication, andmitigation of security incidents and breaches.

• Medical Device Security Controls

Outlinessafeguards specifically for protecting networked medical equipmentand supporting clinical infrastructure.

• Access and Authentication Management

Defines methodsfor ensuring authorized access to sensitive systems, applications,and medical information.

• Governance Structure and Accountability

Provides aframework for leadership oversight, policy development, and ongoingcompliance evaluation.

Framework Scope

U.S. HICP (Large Practice) is adopted by large healthcare providers,hospitals, and healthcare delivery organizations responsible forprotecting electronic health information and clinical systems. Itgoverns cybersecurity practices across patient data systems, medicaldevices, and supporting infrastructure, and is typically implementedto enhance cyber risk management, fulfill regulatory obligations, andsupport assurance programs.

Framework Objectives

U.S. HICP (Large Practice) promotes a comprehensive approach tomanaging cybersecurity risks in large healthcare organizations.

Strengthen cybersecurity governance and oversight across clinical andoperational environments

Enhance healthcare data protection and privacy safeguards to reducebreach risks

Support compliance with regulatory requirements by applying robustsecurity controls

Improve risk management practices to address evolving healthcarecyber threats

Enable operational resilience to minimize disruptions and maintainpatient care

Demonstrate audit readiness through consistent implementation ofcybersecurity best practices HICP (Large Practice) aligns with NISTCybersecurity Framework, HIPAA Security Rule, and HITRUST CSF,providing tailored cybersecurity practices for healthcare entities.Large healthcare organizations implement HICP to enhancecybersecurity resilience, support HIPAA compliance, and align withindustry best practices, especially for addressing regulatoryrequirements and improving operational security posture.

Framework in Context

HICP (LargePractice) aligns with NIST Cybersecurity Framework, HIPAA SecurityRule, and HITRUST CSF, providing tailored cybersecurity practices forhealthcare entities. Large healthcare organizations implement HICP toenhance cybersecurity resilience, support HIPAA compliance, and alignwith industry best practices, especially for addressing regulatoryrequirements and improving operational security posture.

Common Framework Mappings

HICP (Large Practice) is often mapped to other widely adoptedcybersecurity and privacy frameworks to streamline compliance, ensurecomprehensive risk management, and facilitate regulatory crosswalkswithin healthcare organizations.

Mapped frameworks include:

CIS Critical Security Controls

COBIT

HITRUST CSF

ISO/IEC 27001

NIST Cybersecurity Framework

NIST SP 800-53

PCI DSS

SOC 2

StateRAMP

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