A Healthcare CIO’s Guide to HIPAA Compliance in Co-working Spaces

When you look at the cost of a new hospital, it’s incredibly expensive. The proposed replacement for IU Health Methodist and University Hospitals is forecast to cost $1.6 billion dollars and have 576 beds. That is $2.78 million per bed. That adds pressure for leadership to use that space as efficiently as possible. Joint Commission and regulatory/code requirements for use of it also effectively preclude its use for anything else other than that as you have to build anticipating patient care usage due to code compliance.

With the additional costs for leased space or owned corporate offices, coworking spaces now look very attractive. The use of coworking space for non-patient care functions such as business services makes economic sense compared to the alternatives. Security is a major consideration given this new possibility and the risks it entails.