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

Why it Matters

U.S. HICP (Medium Practice) offers targeted guidance to healthcareorganizations seeking to address industry-specific cyber risks andregulatory requirements.

Key benefits include:

• Strengthen information security governance

Establish clearroles, responsibilities, and oversight processes for cybersecuritymanagement in healthcare settings.

• Enhance regulatory compliance support

Promote alignmentwith HIPAA requirements and foster readiness for audits andenforcement actions.

• Improve incident detection and response

Enableorganizations to identify, contain, and recover from cyber threatsand data breaches more effectively.

• Promote operational resilience

Reduce thelikelihood and impact of service disruptions or patient care delayscaused by cyber incidents.

• Support protection of patient data

Apply industrypractices to safeguard sensitive health information againstunauthorized access, disclosure, or loss.

How it Works

The U.S. Health Industry Cybersecurity Practices (HICP) MediumPractice is structured around a set of foundational cybersecurity“Threats” and “Practices,” each mapped to the mostsignificant risks facing the healthcare sector. The frameworkorganizes these practices into five key cybersecurity threatareas—such as email phishing and data loss—and aligns them withten recommended security practices. Each practice is detailed withtechnical and procedural safeguards, maturity indicators, and examplescenarios, providing a blueprint for risk management, governance, andimplementation.

Healthcare organizations apply HICP Medium Practice by assessingtheir security posture against these predefined practices andcontrols. They implement recommended security safeguards—such asaccess management, asset inventory, and monitoring—to addressspecific threat scenarios. Ongoing activities include mappingcontrols to existing compliance and governance requirements,conducting risk assessments, training staff, and continuouslymonitoring for vulnerabilities and incidents to support regulatorycompliance.

Using SmartSuite, organizations operationalize HICP Medium Practicethrough the use of centralized control libraries, risk registers, andpolicy governance modules tailored to HICP’s structure. Evidencecollection tools facilitate documentation of control effectiveness,while compliance tracking and remediation workflows support auditreadiness and reporting. Dashboards enable real-time monitoring,helping teams maintain continuous alignment with HICP security andcompliance practices.

Key Elements

• Threat and Vulnerability Safeguards

Describessecurity measures designed to address common healthcare sectorthreats and system vulnerabilities.

• Identity and Access Management

Specifiesframeworks for controlling user authentication, authorization, andprivileged access to sensitive health data.

• Asset and Device Security

Establishesprotocols for managing, securing, and monitoring medical andinformation technology devices.

• Network and Data Protection Measures

Outlines layeredapproaches for safeguarding data in transit and at rest withinhealthcare environments.

• Incident Response Processes

Definesstructured procedures for detecting, analyzing, and responding tocybersecurity incidents.

• Governance and Compliance Oversight

Organizespolicies and accountabilities to ensure continual adherence toregulatory and industry requirements.

Framework Scope

U.S. HICP (Medium Practice) is adopted by healthcare organizations,business associates, and vendors managing protected healthinformation and clinical systems. The framework governs cybersecuritypractices across healthcare IT environments and connected devices,and is typically leveraged to address regulatory requirements,mitigate cybersecurity risks, and support compliance programs andorganizational resilience.

Framework Objectives

U.S. HICP (Medium Practice) guides healthcare organizations inmanaging cybersecurity risks and safeguarding sensitive data.

Strengthen cybersecurity governance and foster a culture of riskmanagement

Enhance protection of patient data through effective securitycontrols

Support regulatory compliance with industry standards and laws

Improve operational resilience against evolving cyber threats

Promote audit readiness by maintaining documentation and monitoringactivities

Enable continuous improvement of data protection and privacypractices HICP (Medium Practice) aligns with cybersecurity frameworkslike NIST Cybersecurity Framework, HIPAA Security Rule, and CISControls, offering sector-specific guidance for U.S. healthcareorganizations. It is typically adopted to strengthen operationalsecurity, meet regulatory expectations, and implement best practicesfor protecting healthcare sector data and critical systems.

Framework in Context

HICP (MediumPractice) aligns with cybersecurity frameworks like NISTCybersecurity Framework, HIPAA Security Rule, and CIS Controls,offering sector-specific guidance for U.S. healthcare organizations.It is typically adopted to strengthen operational security, meetregulatory expectations, and implement best practices for protectinghealthcare sector data and critical systems.

Common Framework Mappings

HICP (Medium Practice) is commonly mapped to other prominent securityand privacy frameworks in healthcare and critical infrastructure tostreamline compliance, unify risk assessments, and meet broadregulatory and industry requirements.

Mapped frameworks include:

CIS Controls

COBIT

HIPAA Security Rule

ISO/IEC 27001

ISO/IEC 27002

NIST Cybersecurity Framework

NIST SP 800-53

PCI DSS

SOC 2

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