Why SOC Certification Matters in Healthcare

One of the most critical tasks healthcare organizations will do is select their technology providers. The right tech providers can enable their organization to enhance data security, streamline workflows, increase operational efficiency, and improve patient care. However, the wrong pick can cause a series of problems, including data breaches, interoperability issues, and even poorer patient outcomes. 

One way to achieve peace of mind when selecting a technology provider is to find one with a sound System and Organization Controls (SOC) report. A rehab therapy business that partners with a SOC-certified firm is mitigating risk and ensuring security, which are essential as the healthcare industry further embraces the digital space. 

Let’s explore what a SOC certification is, and why it’s more important now than ever before for those in the healthcare industry.

What Is an SOC Certification?

Previously called Service Organization Control, the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) changed its name to System and Organization Control in 2017. SOCs are internal control reports conducted by the AICPA to examine a technology provider’s security and data protection controls. 

The result of the audit is a detailed SOC report, which is not a simple certificate, but a professional attestation that the provider’s systems and policies are designed and operating effectively to safeguard customer data. For healthcare, this report is a gold standard for a tech vendor to demonstrate its commitment to protecting the security, privacy, and reliability of patient information.

Now, why are CPAs involved in this process? After all, they seem out of context in the grand scheme of technology security. However, while they’re most commonly associated with financial statements and numbers, a CPA’s core expertise lies in auditing internal controls, including those related to privacy and confidentiality.  

People often use “SOC certification” or “SOC-certified” to explain their status. However, those terms aren’t official verbiage; they simply mean that a company has completed an SOC audit and received a favorable report. 

The Types of SOC Audits

There are three main types of SOC reports (SOC 1, SOC 2, and SOC 3), and each serves different stakeholders and compliance needs. These third-party attestations help organizations demonstrate their internal controls to clients and partners.

Before jumping into those three main types, it’s important to preface that both SOC 1 and SOC 2 reports come in two types:

• Type I: A “snapshot” that verifies a company’s controls were suitably designed at a specific point in time
• Type II: The gold standard, which verifies that the controls were designed and operating effectively over a sustained period (typically 6-12 months)

The SOC 1 Report 

The purpose of an SOC 1 report is to focus on a service organization’s internal controls that are relevant to its clients’ financial reporting. It’s primarily for a client’s financial auditors to ensure the service organization’s work doesn’t negatively impact the client’s financial statements.

The SOC 2 Report

Most relevant to the healthcare industry, an SOC 2 report zeroes in on a service organization’s controls over security, availability, processing integrity, confidentiality, and privacy of its systems and data. It’s mainly for clients and business partners who need to assess the provider’s security and data protection practices.

The SOC 3 Report

Lastly, the SOC 3 report is a short, public-facing summary of an SOC 2 report. It’s utilized for general marketing and addressing a broad audience.

Technology Has Changed Rehab Therapy

Healthcare is in its digital era, and a lot has changed in rehab in the last decade as a result. It’s moved from a primarily in-person, clinic-based model to one that’s more personalized, accessible, and data-driven. 

But what are some examples of this transformation? We’ll carefully explore the advantages of a few of the major changes in the rehabilitation space:

• Telerehabilitation
• Wearable technology 
• Artificial intelligence 

We’ll also discuss how, while they’re advantageous, they may also pose a security threat, highlighting the importance of SOC-certified technology providers. 

Telerehab: Its Benefits and Security Concerns

First published in scientific literature in 1998, telerehabilitation is a type of telemedicine that received little attention until the COVID-19 pandemic. Ever since, however, it’s been a different story. Rehab therapy has gone through one of the most significant technological shifts we’ve seen to date. Telerehab allows providers, either through synchronous or asynchronous delivery, to assist populations with a range of disabilities with minimal or no direct patient contact. 

It offers numerous benefits for patients and providers, including:  

• Flexible scheduling
• More timely diagnoses 
• Greater access to care  
• Minimizes the spread of infectious disease
• Lower overhead costs (e.g., reduced need for extensive space and the utilities associated with it for a full staff working full time in the space) 

Telerehabilitation and Security Risks

The rise of telerehabilitation has undoubtedly created new and convenient ways to deliver care, but this digital shift also introduces significant security challenges. Consider this: the very devices that make telerehab possible, like computers, tablets, and smartphones, can become points of vulnerability. For instance, provider devices are vulnerable to: 

• Theft or loss. If a provider uses their own personal device for work, and it’s lost or stolen, patients’ personal health information (PHI) may be exposed if it’s an unsecured device. 
• Inadequate controls. Devices often lack fundamental security measures such as strong passwords, updated software, or encryption, making them easy targets.

The telerehab platform itself is also vulnerable, as it serves as the central repository for a wealth of sensitive PHI, including patient medical histories, progress notes, and video recordings of sessions. If the data stored on servers is not adequately protected, it could be sold on the black market. Protecting this data is not just a best practice: it’s a legal and ethical obligation. 

Not all video and communication platforms are compliant with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) security standards, either, which can result in financial penalties and more for a rehab practice. 

How Can SOC Help Mitigate Some Telerehabilitation Security Risks?

It’s crucial to understand that under HIPAA, your rehabilitation practice is a covered entity that’s responsible for patients’ data. When you select a telehealth vendor that’ll be handling PHI to facilitate telehealth services, that responsibility also extends to them, as a business associate. Therefore, if their system is breached, you can be held liable as well if your patients’ data is a part of that. 

As a physical therapist (PT), occupational therapist (OT), or speech-language pathologist (SLP), it’s highly recommended that you partner with a SOC-certified telehealth vendor. This means their platform has undergone a SOC 2 audit that has reviewed their servers, the code of their application, their data centers, and their internal security management processes. 

Here are just some ways a telehealth vendor who’s completed a SOC audit can help your company minimize risks while using their virtual care platform.

• Validating strong security measures: A strong SOC audit will verify that the telehealth firm has implemented robust security controls, such as data encryption, secure login protocols, and firewalls. 
• Ensuring HIPAA compliance: Security and privacy principles within a SOC 2 audit align with the requirements of the HIPAA Security and Privacy Rules. 
• Data protection in storage and transit: The SOC audit confirms that appropriate security controls exist within the firm to protect patient information confidentiality and integrity, whether it’s a video recording of sessions or transmitted between your practice and patients. 
• Uptime reliability: The SOC 2 Availability assessments confirm the firm maintains documented procedures for system monitoring, incident response, and service restoration, protecting your practice from operational interruptions that could affect patient care delivery.

Ultimately, it’s still on your practice to have measures in place for provider-owned devices. However, knowing that the telehealth platform your practice is using has undergone third-party verification will grant peace of mind.

Wearable Technology and Remote Monitoring

Wearable technology is rapidly growing in the rehabilitation space, expanding from smartwatches to a variety of devices like rings, bracelets, and headbands that provide both psychological monitoring and biological feedback. 

While these devices offer benefits to both patients and providers, here’s how they specifically benefit rehabilitation professionals:

 Enhances Diagnostics and Evaluation

•  Decreases evaluation times and provides objective, quantifiable data on patient capabilities
•  Reduces the potential for subjective judgment, which can help decrease diagnostic errors and lead to more effective therapy choices

Enables Personalized Care

• Collects granular data, such as muscle activity during a range of movements
• Allows for a deeper understanding of a patient’s motor function, leading to more precise patient grouping and highly targeted care plans

Extends Care Beyond the Clinic

• Discreetly and continuously acquires data on motor function during a patient’s daily-life activities
• Supports independent, at-home rehabilitative training, empowering patients to work more extensively toward recovery

Additionally, wearable technology usage is expected to increase more than fivefold every half year for monitoring physical activity and weight control. 

Wearable Devices and Security Risks

Wearable devices are, without a doubt, powerful tools for diagnostics and treatment, but they also have several security risks. 

• Data in transit: The transmission of data via Bluetooth or Wi-Fi from a wearable to a cloud server or user device can be intercepted by hackers.  
• Wearable device security: During the design phase, often the focus is on the cost, battery life, or size, with security taking a backseat. This makes the device a gateway for accessing a patient’s smartphone or a clinic’s network. 
• Data storage: Health data from wearables is usually stored in the cloud, and if the vendor’s cloud environment lacks robust security controls, the data is at risk of unauthorized access, deletion, or modification. 
• Inadvertent data collection: Beyond therapeutic data, wearable devices capture sensitive personal information like whereabouts, communications, and scheduling details. This broader data collection creates potential privacy vulnerabilities when patients haven’t explicitly consented to its use.

How SOC Can Help with Wearable Device Security Concerns

First, let’s clarify that there is a difference between consumer wearables and wearable technology that’s considered Software as a Medical Device (SaMD). 

Consumer-facing tech companies are focused on the mass market, so it’s rare for them to complete an SOC audit; their business model is different. SaMDs, though, are regulated by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Since they’re intended to handle sensitive patient data, completing a SOC audit is viewed as a key part of demonstrating their commitment to security protocols. 

If you partner with a wearable device tech provider that’s completed a SOC audit, your practice may benefit from: 

• Patient data protection. An SOC audit will evaluate a wearable tech provider’s controls throughout the entire data lifecycle. 
• Data integrity assurance. The SOC 2 audit includes a “Processing Integrity” criterion to ensure the system processes data accurately, completely, and in a time-efficient manner. 
• Controlled user access. The audit will confirm that there are strict access controls to prevent unauthorized access to patient data, including the physical security of data centers (e.g., if biometric scanners are used to access server rooms). 

Rehab practices must conduct their own due diligence when integrating wearable technology into their company. Incorporating consumer wearable data, that’s later breached into an official medical record may violate policies set by HIPAA, the Federal Trade Commission Act (FTC), and more.

Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning 

In just a short amount of time, artificial intelligence (AI) has revolutionized how rehab professionals approach their work. It has the power to enhance clinical decision-making, improve motor recovery, and tailor plans that more efficiently utilize resources. 

A 2025 study pointed out its primary applications to date, focusing on: 

• Treatment plans. AI algorithms can analyze patient data, including medical history and real-time performance, to create treatment plans tailored to individual needs. This can improve patient engagement and accelerate recovery.  
• Predictive analytics. This allows PTs and OTs to make more accurate predictions about a patient’s recovery journey. Rehab professionals can proactively identify risks and make adjustments to treatment plans based on the insights gathered. 
• Remote monitoring.  AI tools can improve precision in identifying neurological disorders and tracking a patient’s functional progress. They do this by using biometric data from devices that track movement and heart rate, which are key metrics in measuring successful rehabilitation.
• Rehabilitation robotics. When enhanced with AI, these can provide repetitive, task-specific movement training that can capture real-time data and adjust the device’s assistance level. 

Security Concerns and AI

As you might imagine, the integration of AI and rehabilitation introduces a new and complex set of privacy and security concerns, including the following.

• Sensitive, large data sets: AI models require massive, diverse data sets to function correctly. The volume and complexity of this data multiply the potential for a large-scale breach. 
• Re-identification risks: Data might be originally de-identified, but machine learning could re-identify a patient, constituting a privacy threat. 
• Algorithmic bias: The integrity of AI models creates concerns. For example, if training data is biased, the AI’s recommendations will be flawed. Additionally, malicious actors could manipulate the data to deceive the AI. 
• Interoperability: AI tools usually need to integrate with a rehabilitation practice’s systems, like their electronic health record (EHR). This interconnectedness, though, can create entry points for cyberattacks. 
• Data ownership: It’s not uncommon for AI models to require that data be shared across various platforms and stakeholders, which raises ethical and legal concerns about who owns the data, where it can be stored, and the level of access (e.g., research vs. commercial use). 

SOC and AI in Rehabilitation

Currently, the rules and regulations surrounding AI area bit ambiguous. The technology is advancing far faster than governing bodies can keep up with, so there are many areas of uncertainty. Given the incomplete regulatory landscape, SOC certification could be viewed as a de facto standard. If an AI tech provider has taken steps, in this climate, to show their commitment to ethical and responsible development, it provides good faith. 

Consider the following ways having a SOC-certified AI vendor might be helpful.

• AI Model validation: An AI tool being audited by a third party means the model’s accuracy and integrity processes have been tested externally. 
• Training data: SOC auditors can assess if patient data provided to the AI model is encrypted and protected from unauthorized access. 
• HIPAA-compliance: An SOC audit with a privacy criterion can help showcase that the AI vendor is enabling the process for practices to follow HIPAA rules. Examples would be making it clear how they handle data and creating features that easily allow practices to document that they’ve received informed consent from patients. 

Prioritize Security in Rehab Therapy with SOC Certification

Digital health technologies have opened the door to a new landscape of opportunities. However, as we discussed, it doesn’t come without its share of risks. Solid security protocols are imperative to business sustainability, and part of staying on the right side of things is partnering with the right tech providers. 

As a rehabilitation practice, you must determine if the vendor you’re considering has undergone an SOC audit. It’s the difference between a secure, trustworthy partnership and a dangerous gamble with your practice’s reputation and your patients’ data.