We've been getting asked by customers and prospects about SparkPost and their ability to use it in a HIPAA compliant manner. We know the HIPAA industry is vast so we can empathize with just how many people need to use cloud-based services in this sector.
In previous posts, we’ve covered the following cloud solutions and their capabilities for HIPAA compliance:
Today, we will determine if SparkPost offers HIPAA compliant email service or not. SEE ALSO: HIPAA Breaches and Cloud Providers
About SparkPost
SparkPost is an email infrastructure provider that sends over 3 trillion messages a year. A direct competitor to SendGrid, SparkPost is located a mile away from us in San Francisco.
SparkPost and the Business Associate Agreement
We’ve previously talked about how a Business Associate Agreement (BAA) is a written contract between a Covered Entity and a Business Associate. It is required by law for HIPAA compliance. We checked SparkPost's site and could not find any mention of their ability to sign a BAA. We did however, find a page called Messaging Policy. On that page, they state:
Sensitive Information. You will not import, or incorporate into, any contact lists or other content you upload to the Services or the Site, any of the following information: social security numbers, national insurance numbers, credit card data, passwords, security credentials, bank account numbers, or sensitive personal, health or financial information of any kind.
Does SparkPost Offer HIPAA Compliant Email Service?
The Business Associate Agreement is a key component to HIPAA compliance between a Covered Entity and a Business Associate. SparkPost's Messaging Policy clearly states they are not in the business of providing HIPAA Compliant email service.
Conclusion
SparkPost is not a HIPAA Compliant email solution.
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Hoala Greevy
