In light of the recent spread of COVID-19, HITRUST encourages assessors to exercise judgement when planning assessment-related travel. Given that HITRUST assessments take place across the US as well as internationally, we acknowledge that some HITRUST assessments will be affected more than others. Assessors should work closely with their clients to adjust travel plans as deemed necessary. To provide assessors added travel flexibility, HITRUST is waiving the requirement that in-person / on-site validation procedures be performed at the assessed entity’s facilities. This temporary waiver is effective immediately.
In situations where assessors choose to leverage alternative approaches such as video conferencing to perform necessary walkthroughs and observations, assessment documentation must clearly reflect the nature, timing, and extent of the alternative approaches used.
We will continue to work closely with assessors to monitor the effectiveness of alternative walkthrough and observation approaches and the ongoing necessity of this waiver. An additional advisory will be posted at a later date to reinstate the on-site fieldwork requirement.