What is HIPAA?

HIPAA Compliance for SaaS Applications

If your SaaS application processes, stores, or transmits Protected Health Information (PHI), you must comply with HIPAA. This applies even if you are a "Business Associate" — a third party that handles PHI on behalf of a healthcare provider.

HIPAA Security Rule Requirements

The HIPAA Security Rule (45 CFR Part 164) requires:

• Access Controls (164.312(a)) — Unique user identification, automatic logoff, encryption
• Audit Controls (164.312(b)) — Hardware, software, and procedural mechanisms to record and examine access to ePHI
• Integrity Controls (164.312(c)) — Mechanisms to authenticate ePHI and protect against improper alteration
• Transmission Security (164.312(e)) — Encryption of ePHI in transit

Audit Logging for HIPAA

HIPAA 164.312(b) specifically requires audit controls that record who accessed what PHI, when, and what they did with it. These logs must be:

• Retained for a minimum of 6 years
• Protected from tampering
• Available for review during audits

How Trailbase Supports HIPAA

Trailbase provides HIPAA-ready audit logging with immutable SHA-256 hash chains, configurable retention up to 10 years, AES-256-GCM encryption at rest, and EU/US data residency options. The Compliance Pack Generator produces HIPAA-specific documentation.