Healthcare IT teams have to manage endpoints across clinical settings, administrative offices, remote employees, and third-party applications. That makes patch management difficult, especially when systems may create, receive, maintain, or transmit electronic protected health information.
Patch management matters because unpatched software can increase security risk, create audit gaps, and expose healthcare organizations to avoidable vulnerabilities. While HIPAA does not prescribe one specific patch management tool or universal patch deadline, the HIPAA Security Rule requires covered entities and business associates to identify and reduce risks to ePHI.
With that in mind, let’s examine patch management for healthcare organizations, how it supports HIPAA Security Rule requirements, and what to look for in HIPAA patch management software
Patch Management: The Biggest Security Challenge in Healthcare Today
While patch management may seem like a relatively minor task, it’s actually one of the biggest challenges in cybersecurity. As threats evolve and new vulnerabilities emerge, IT teams need to work quickly to ensure each endpoint is properly patched and updated to defend against them, and the larger and more distributed an organization is, the more difficult this becomes.
Additionally, there are other challenges more unique to healthcare that IT teams must consider. Many organizations rely on legacy systems that can be more challenging to update, along with medical devices with long patch cycles and greater complexity. All the while, they need to ensure they’re meeting the strict standards of HIPAA compliance.
Altogether, this creates unique challenges for healthcare IT teams, but these challenges can be overcome with the right tools.
How Patch Management Supports HIPAA Security Rule Requirements
The HIPAA Security Rule requires covered entities and business associates to assess potential risks and vulnerabilities to the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of ePHI, then implement reasonable and appropriate measures to reduce those risks.
Unpatched software can become part of that risk analysis. When a known vulnerability affects systems that handle ePHI, healthcare IT teams need a documented process for evaluating the risk, prioritizing remediation, deploying available patches, verifying completion, and documenting any exceptions or compensating controls.
That makes patch management an important part of HIPAA-aligned security operations, even though HIPAA does not prescribe one specific patching tool, workflow, or deadline.
Why OCR Guidance Puts Focus on Unpatched Software
OCR has repeatedly emphasized the security risks created by unpatched software, outdated systems, default credentials, and poor configuration management. For healthcare organizations, these risks matter because they can affect systems that store, process, or provide access to ePHI.
In fact, unpatched endpoints have become such a threat that OCR has had to make announcements about it. In OCR’s January 2026 Cybersecurity Newsletter, it called out unpatched systems, default credentials, and poor configuration management as the leading causes of HIPAA enforcement actions.
Unpatched endpoints can create exposure across workstations, servers, remote devices, and applications. If a vulnerability is exploited, the organization may need to investigate the incident, determine whether ePHI was affected, document its response, and address any security gaps identified during the review.
Patch management helps reduce that risk by giving healthcare IT teams a repeatable process for finding vulnerable systems, applying available updates, documenting remediation, and identifying exceptions that require additional safeguards.
How Patch Management Supports HIPAA Security Rule Safeguards
HIPAA includes administrative, physical, and technical safeguards. Patch management most directly supports administrative and technical safeguards by helping healthcare organizations identify security risks, document remediation activity, and maintain systems that protect ePHI.
Administrative safeguards include policies, procedures, risk analysis, and risk management activities. A documented patch management process helps show how vulnerabilities are identified, prioritized, remediated, and reviewed over time.
Technical safeguards include controls that help protect access to ePHI and maintain system integrity. Patch management supports these safeguards by reducing exposure from known software vulnerabilities that could weaken endpoint, application, or system security.
Physical safeguards are less directly tied to software patching, but healthcare organizations should still consider any connected systems or devices that may affect the security of environments where ePHI is accessed or maintained.
6 Steps to a HIPAA-Aligned Patch Management Process
A HIPAA-aligned patch management process should be documented, repeatable, and based on risk. These steps can help healthcare IT teams manage endpoint updates more consistently:
Asset inventory: The first step is to know what devices you have to manage, their software, and any applications on them. A complete and up-to-date inventory is an essential starting point, so you can efficiently track and manage all your endpoints.
Vulnerability scanning: Next, you need a good tool for scanning each endpoint and monitoring for vulnerabilities. This helps identify any issues that need to be patched without requiring IT agents to constantly check endpoints manually.
Patch prioritization: Not all patches are equally important; while some may be critical vulnerability fixes, others are just basic performance improvements. As such, being able to properly prioritize patches so that the most critical ones are deployed first is essential.
Testing and approval: It's essential to test patches before deploying them across large environments. Make sure you begin with a small but representative group of devices, so you can identify any issues or errors before they become widespread.
Deployment and verification: Once patches are tested and verified, you need a reliable way to deploy them across your environment and verify each one is properly installed. Using patch management software makes it easy to automatically deploy patches across large endpoint environments, and can automatically verify whether patches are properly installed or if they need to be reattempted.
Exception documentation: Some systems may not be patchable right away, especially legacy applications, specialized healthcare systems, or connected devices with vendor-controlled update cycles. When a patch cannot be deployed, document the reason, assess the risk, and apply appropriate compensating controls until remediation is possible.
HIPAA documentation requirements can extend up to six years, so healthcare organizations should retain patch policies, remediation records, exception documentation, and related audit evidence according to their compliance and record retention requirements.
HIPAA Patch Management Software: 6 Must-Have Features
There are many patch management solutions on the market, so it may be difficult to identify the right one for your company. However, there are several features that are vital for patch management, so when you're evaluating your options, make sure you find a solution that includes these:
Automated OS and third-party app patching: Patch automation is one of the best ways to ensure updates are effectively deployed across endpoints. A good patch automation solution can detect new patches when they’re available, then prioritize, test, deploy, and verify the patches across endpoints without requiring manual intervention. This helps keep devices up to date while freeing time for IT agents. However, it’s also important to find a solution that includes both OS and third-party app patching, to ensure full coverage across devices and software.
Asset inventory and unauthorized software detection: Maintaining an up-to-date inventory is vital for properly monitoring and managing endpoints. Endpoint management software should include automated asset inventories, along with tools to detect unauthorized software that could pose a security threat.
Policy-based scheduling: Patch automation should adhere to company policy, prioritizing the most critical endpoints and scheduling updates for the least disruptive times. This both ensures that the most important devices receive updates quickly and reduces interruptions, maintaining security without sacrificing productivity.
Real-time alerts: When a new threat emerges, IT teams need to know immediately. Real-time alerts can detect potential issues as soon as they appear, then notify IT teams so they can be investigated and addressed efficiently.
Compliance reporting: Audits are key for cybersecurity and IT compliance, so it’s important to be prepared for them. Good compliance reporting can automatically track updates and verify that endpoints are secure, making it easier to demonstrate compliance and pass audits.
Cross-platform support: Very few companies use a single device type or operating system these days, so finding a solution with cross-platform support is essential. A good patch management solution can work across a wide variety of devices, so they don’t leave any blind spots or exposed endpoints.
Support HIPAA-Aligned Patch Management With Splashtop AEM
When healthcare IT teams need a more efficient way to manage endpoint updates, Splashtop AEM can help support a documented, repeatable patch management process.
Splashtop AEM helps IT teams monitor endpoints, identify missing updates, automate OS and third-party application patching, and view patch status from a centralized dashboard. This gives healthcare organizations better visibility into endpoint risk and helps reduce the manual effort required to keep systems current.
With Splashtop AEM, IT teams can use policy-based patching, real-time alerts, inventory reporting, CVE insights, and remediation tools to support patch prioritization and follow-through. These capabilities help teams document patch activity, verify update status, and maintain evidence that can support audit readiness.
Splashtop AEM does not make an organization HIPAA compliant on its own, but it can help healthcare IT teams strengthen the patch management workflows that support HIPAA Security Rule risk management.
Experience Splashtop AEM with a free trial today.
