Your trusted partner for HITRUST e1, i1 & r2 Certification
Accorian is a HITRUST Authorized External Assessor with the largest number of HITRUST EA Council members from any organization. With 400+ assessments delivered, we help healthcare, SaaS, and faster, smarter, and with confidence.
What is HITRUST and Why It Matters
The HITRUST CSF® is a comprehensive framework that unifies multiple regulations and standards—including HIPAA, NIST, ISO, PCI, and GDPR—into a single, certifiable program. It is widely recognized across healthcare, SaaS, and third-party providers, offering assurance to clients and regulators that organizations meet best-in-class data security standards. By consolidating requirements, HITRUST also helps reduce redundant audits and simplifies overall compliance management. Here’s why it matters:
Regulatory Compliance
HITRUST harmonizes best practices from more than 50 standards, frameworks, and regulations to address all 19 domains of security and risk management of cyber threats.
Risk Management
Helps identify and mitigate potential vulnerabilities.
Streamlined Processes
Integrates multiple compliance requirements into a single framework.
Enhanced Security Posture
Strengthens overall security measures against data breaches.
Stakeholder Confidence
Meets key regulations related to ways and means of showcasing assurance to your healthcare clients.Predict threats before they strike. Run simulated attacks. Build and refine response playbooks. Our advanced analytics help you stay a step ahead—always.
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Types of HITRUST Assessments
HITRUST® provides a comprehensive security and compliance framework that integrates and harmonizes over 50 authoritative sources, including HIPAA, NIST, ISO, GDPR, and more. The HITRUST® approach allows organizations to achieve scalable and efficient assessments that align with their unique risk and regulatory requirements.
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HITRUST e1 Assessment
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HITRUST i1 Assessment
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HITRUST r2 (Risk-Based) Validated Assessment
Comparing HITRUST Assessments
ESSENTIALS 1-YEAR
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An e1 is a baseline certification
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44 fixed controls
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Yearly certification
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Assessment Complexity: Low
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Small, non-complex environments
IMPLEMENTED 1-YEAR
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An i1 is the stepping-stone certification
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182 fixed controls
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Annual re-certification
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Assessment Complexity: Moderate
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Moderate assurance needs
RISK BASED 2-YEARS
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An r2 is a comprehensive risk-based certification
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Up to 2,000+ (risk-based selection)
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2 years (with interim assessment)
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Assessment Complexity: High
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Highly regulated industries & complex organizations
Challenges and How Accorian Helps?
Bridging the Expertise Gap
Many organizations lack in-house HITRUST and compliance specialists.
Accorian Advantage: Our dedicated HITRUST experts and vCISO leaders guide you through every stage, ensuring you have the right strategy, controls, and documentation from day one.
Reducing Documentation Burden
Preparing policies, procedures, and evidence for HITRUST can feel overwhelming.
Accorian Advantage: We provide pre-built policy templates, control libraries, and checklists tailored to HITRUST, streamlining documentation and reducing manual effort.
Managing Costs & Resources
HITRUST certification often demands significant time and budget investment.
Accorian Advantage: Our proven methodology and automation tools cut certification time and costs by up to 30%, helping you achieve assurance within budget.
Aligning Multiple Compliance Frameworks
Organizations already managing HIPAA, SOC 2, or ISO 27001 often struggle to map controls to HITRUST.
Accorian Advantage: Our GoRICO GRC platform automates evidence management, cross-maps controls across frameworks, and ensures your HITRUST journey integrates smoothly with existing compliance efforts.
The HITRUST Certification Process
HITRUST For Healthcare Providers
In the healthcare sector, data security is not merely a regulatory obligation but a foundational pillar of patient trust, operational resilience, and institutional credibility. As cyber threats grow more sophisticated and regulatory scrutiny intensifies, healthcare providers must adopt security frameworks that do more than check boxes…READ MORE
Why Choose Accorian?
As an authorized HITRUST CSF Assessor, Accorian specializes in assisting businesses of all sizes to achieve certification. Our security team possesses extensive experience in HITRUST implementation and certification, enabling us to serve as your full-service cybersecurity partner throughout the process.
Accorian Team Members Appointed to HITRUST Authorized EA COUNCIL
Our members of the HITRUST Authorized External Assessor® Council represent the highest number of individuals from any company on the council. The council fosters partnerships between HITRUST® and leading Assessors who contribute their extensive knowledge and experience to:
Share insights and challenges related to HITRUST® services
Provide valuable input on the HITRUST CSF® Assurance Program, ensuring its continued integrity, effectiveness, and efficiency
Advocate for the industry’s highest standards in information security and privacy
Our Experts
Trusted By Leading Clients
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Q. What is HITRUST certification and why is it important?
A. HITRUST certification validates that an organization meets a comprehensive set of security and compliance requirements. It’s especially valuable in industries like healthcare and SaaS, where clients and regulators demand strong data protection and assurance.
Q. How long does it take to achieve HITRUST certification?
A. Timelines vary based on the assessment type and organizational readiness. On average, an e1 assessment takes 3–4 months, i1 takes 6–9 months, and r2 takes 9–12 months.
Q. What’s the difference between HITRUST i1 and r2 assessments?
A. The i1 assessment is designed for organizations that need moderate assurance with ~200+ controls, while the r2 assessment is more rigorous, with 400+ risk-based controls, suited for highly regulated and complex environments.
Q. Does HITRUST replace SOC 2 or ISO 27001?
A. HITRUST doesn’t replace other frameworks but often consolidates overlapping requirements. Many organizations find that HITRUST satisfies multiple client and regulatory expectations, reducing the need for separate audits.
Q. What industries benefit the most from HITRUST?
A. HITRUST is most commonly adopted by healthcare providers, SaaS companies, BPOs, and IT service providers that handle sensitive data or need to demonstrate HIPAA and regulatory compliance to clients and partners.
Q. What is the difference between HITRUST & HIPAA?
A. HITRUST is a certifiable, comprehensive cybersecurity assurance framework that maps to multiple standards (including HIPAA, NIST, ISO) to deliver stronger third-party assurance. HIPAA is a U.S. regulation focused on protecting health data (PHI/ePHI). Thus, HIPAA sets legal obligations for covered entities and business associates, whereas HITRUST helps organizations demonstrate that they’ve met and integrated HIPAA safeguards (and more) under a unified, audited framework.
