HIPAA-Compliant Healthcare Marketing Services

With new and evolving privacy laws at the federal and state levels, protecting consumer data by prioritizing HIPAA compliance has become crucial as we pursue marketing performance metrics.

Understanding compliance in healthcare marketing

At True North Custom, we prioritize protecting our clients' business needs through a conservative approach to consumer privacy, which includes complying with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, or HIPAA, and its public protection guidelines.

True North's solution for HIPAA compliance

In response to new regulations, we've partnered with a leading consumer data platform (CDP) to ensure our digital marketing clients have access to tools and technology that meet compliance standards. This platform prepares user data for sharing by removing personal details before it's passed on to third-party platforms that might not be compliant. Depending on where the data is going, we have the capability to selectively anonymize information to ensure full compliance.

Key compliance updates for healthcare marketers

Back in 2022, the Department of Health & Human Services (HHS) Office of Civil Rights (OCR) issued guidance on the use of tracking technologies in healthcare marketing. The guidance highlighted that certain patient data points collected by pixels, such as IP addresses, names, and advertiser IDs, can be considered identifying information. When this information is combined with online behavior indicating a user’s intent to seek care or interest in a specific condition, that interaction is considered private health information, also known as PHI.

The bottom line: HIPAA-covered entities must have a business associates agreement (BAA) with any third parties who have access to PHI. They cannot share PHI with non-compliant platforms. Many common marketing analytics tools must now be re-evaluated for HIPAA compliance, including:

Session replay tools

Many common tools may not be compliant and may require replacement.

Website & landing page platforms

The CMS used for your website, microsites and landing pages, along with the underlying servers, must be HIPAA-compliant.

Map & video embeds

Some of your current map and video embed strategies will require evaluation.

Other plug-ins & pixels

Healthcare marketers should audit their websites for various site performance plug-ins and technologies that can track users.

Google Analytics
Tag Manager

These tools, like, many other analytics platforms, do not sign BAAs and collect various identifiable user information from sessions they track.

Ad-serving
platform pixels

Pixels used for conversion tracking on various advertising platforms like Meta or Google Ads collect PHI. Those ad-serving platforms would not sign a BAA with a healthcare provider.

Email and CRM tools

Many common email marketing platforms and CRM systems are HIPAA compliant and will sign your BAA, but make sure your contract level and investment include this compliance.

How to ensure digital marketing compliance and performance

In the dynamic world of promoting healthcare services, forging a partnership with a healthcare-exclusive agency like True North ensures not only compliance but innovation. Our expertise equips you with advanced tools and strategies to track your marketing investments effectively. Whether you're leaning toward a CDP investment or a new analytics platform, or are refining your overall strategy, we guide your journey to success so you can continue gaining valuable data.

Our HIPAA-compliance solution allows True North to strip out certain data to allow for total compliance. For example, Google Analytics and ad platforms only need session data to work, so we remove personal information for privacy. In some cases, certain tools may need only personally identifiable information (PII), rather than PHI, in which case we'd strip any health information out.

Choosing the right agency partner

With True North, you have a dedicated ally in navigating the complexities of digital healthcare marketing. We advocate for collaboration with legal and compliance teams, allowing for comprehensive solutions and integration between internal and external partners.

Our solutions allow compliance and innovation to blend seamlessly, ensuring your marketing strategies are effective and secure. Let us guide you on your path to success in the healthcare marketing domain while protecting your business interests and consumer privacy.