Certified in Healthcare Privacy Compliance (CHPC) Practice Exam 2025 - Free CHPC Practice Questions and Study Guide

Under HIPAA regulations, 'addressable' security requirements must be taken seriously, although they provide some flexibility in implementation. The term 'addressable' refers to security specifications that are not mandatory but must be assessed for relevance and applicability to a particular covered entity's operations. If a covered entity decides not to implement an addressable requirement, it is required to document the rationale behind this decision and to implement an equivalent alternative measure that meets the same objective.

This means that while these addressable requirements are not strictly mandatory, they cannot be entirely ignored. Covered entities must evaluate whether these requirements apply to them and how they can be reasonably addressed within their operational context. Essentially, the aim is to ensure that organizations still maintain appropriate security measures to safeguard protected health information (PHI). Failure to examine and implement suitable measures when addressable requirements are relevant could lead to compliance issues and increased risks to patient data privacy and security.