HITRUST CSF is a certifiable security and privacy framework that harmonises the requirements of many standards and regulations — including HIPAA, ISO/IEC 27001, NIST, PCI DSS and GDPR — into a single control framework. It is especially common in US healthcare, where it is used as a certifiable way to demonstrate HIPAA-aligned security.
Assessment types
| Type | Rigour | Typical use |
|---|---|---|
| e1 (Essentials, 1-year) | Foundational cyber hygiene | Lower-risk organisations / entry point |
| i1 (Implemented, 1-year) | Leading practices, moderate assurance | Broad, threat-adaptive baseline |
| r2 (Risk-based, 2-year) | Comprehensive, risk-based | High assurance for regulated/high-risk data |
Why HITRUST
- Certifiable (unlike HIPAA itself, which has no certification).
- Harmonises many frameworks — assess once, satisfy many.
- Widely accepted by US healthcare and enterprise customers as strong assurance.
- Inheritance and shared responsibility for cloud/service providers.
Certification process
- Scope the systems and select the assessment type (e1/i1/r2).
- Perform a readiness assessment against the HITRUST CSF requirements.
- Remediate gaps and implement controls with evidence.
- Complete the assessment in MyCSF, scoring controls on the HITRUST maturity model.
- An External Assessor validates; HITRUST performs quality assurance and issues the certification.
HITRUST vs SOC 2 vs ISO 27001
| HITRUST | SOC 2 | ISO 27001 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nature | Certifiable control framework | Attestation report | Certifiable management system |
| Strong in | US healthcare / regulated data | US SaaS assurance | Global certification |
| Prescription | Highly prescriptive controls | Criteria-based | Risk-based |
How CyberSigma helps
We run HITRUST readiness — scoping, control implementation and evidence in MyCSF — and coordinate the external assessment so you achieve e1, i1 or r2 certification.
Frequently asked questions
Is HITRUST the same as HIPAA?
No. HIPAA is US law with no certification; HITRUST CSF is a certifiable framework that incorporates HIPAA requirements, so a HITRUST certification is often used to demonstrate HIPAA-aligned security.
Which HITRUST assessment should I choose?
e1 for foundational hygiene, i1 for a strong threat-adaptive baseline, and r2 for comprehensive, risk-based assurance over sensitive/regulated data.
Official documents
CyberSigma resources
Need help with HITRUST?
CERT-In empanelled, PCI QSA senior auditors can take you from reading about it to compliant — with a scoped, guided programme.