Healthcare Companies Should Choose an Auditor for Tomorrow’s Business Challenges - Not Today’s

Wayne Gretzky’s advice to “skate to where the puck is going, not where it has been” has become something of a business cliché, used in presentations everywhere to highlight a newly minted MBA’s latest strategy. In this case, though, it fits the issue well.

Healthcare companies often select an auditor based on the requirement directly in front of them. A customer asks for a SOC 2 report. A partner expects evidence of HIPAA compliance. A larger enterprise buyer wants a more robust HITRUST r2 assessment. A payment workflow introduces PCI DSS obligations. The immediate priority is getting that audit completed so the business can move forward and generate new revenues streams.

Learn more: Healthcare Cybersecurity in 2026: Why HIPAA Readiness Now Requires Proof

Healthcare compliance rarely remains limited to one framework for long, and as a company grows, enters new markets, adds larger customers or expands its products, the assurance expectations around it tend to grow as well. Organizations choosing an auditor today should therefore be considering the next two or three audits they’re likely to face and what frameworks they may entail, rather than treating the current engagement as an isolated project.

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The first audit is rarely the last

Healthcare companies rarely need just one framework for long. As the business grows, adds enterprise customers, or introduces new products, HIPAA, SOC 2, HITRUST, and PCI DSS requirements tend to layer on top of each other. Auditor selection should account for where the business is headed, not just the audit in front of it

Healthcare companies operate in an environment where regulatory requirements, security expectations and commercial demands overlap. HIPAA may establish the baseline for protecting health information, while SOC 2 helps demonstrate the strength of the broader control environment. One or more of the three HITRUST frameworks may be required by health plans, providers or enterprise partners, and PCI DSS becomes relevant when payment card data enters the picture.

These frameworks aren’t interchangeable, although they often cover related controls, systems and evidence. When every audit is managed separately, infosec teams can end up responding to similar requests several times, maintaining parallel timelines and working with auditors who assess the same environment in different ways.

The result is avoidable work for security, compliance, engineering and operations teams, or overwhelming the individual who is responsible for compliance at early stage companies. It can also make it harder to understand which controls support each obligation, where evidence can be reused and where genuine gaps remain.

An auditor with multi-framework capabilities can help healthcare organizations coordinate these requirements more effectively. Evidence can be mapped across applicable frameworks, overlapping controls can be assessed through a connected process, and audit schedules can be planned around the organization’s broader priorities.

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What should you look for in a healthcare compliance auditor besides HIPAA experience?

Framework expertise is only one part of choosing an auditor, and different healthcare organizations vary significantly in how they operate, how they handle data and where risk sits within the business.

A digital health platform won’t have the same control environment as a healthcare payments company. A telehealth provider may face different privacy and operational considerations from a benefits platform, clinical software company or organization supporting health plans. Even within the same framework, the appropriate scope and evidence can vary considerably.

Auditors with broad healthcare experience are better positioned to understand those differences. They can ask more relevant questions, identify where risks are concentrated and avoid applying a generic process to a highly specific environment.

That experience is particularly valuable during scoping, which shapes the entire engagement. Poorly defined scope can create unnecessary work, overlook relevant risks and cause delays later in the process. An auditor who understands the healthcare landscape can help ensure the audit reflects how the organization actually operates.

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Technology should improve the audit experience

Healthcare audits are rigorous by design, although rigor doesn’t require an opaque or unnecessarily slow process. Much of the frustration organizations experience comes from fragmented communication, unclear requests and limited visibility into progress.

The right technology can improve those parts of the engagement. A connected audit platform can centralize evidence, clarify ownership, track open items and give customers a clearer view of what’s happening throughout the audit.

AI can also support evidence organization, workflow management and review when it operates within a sound methodology and under the direction of experienced auditors. Technology won’t replace the professional judgment required to determine whether controls are appropriately designed and operating effectively. It can help auditors and customers work more efficiently, consistently and transparently.

Thoropass combines expert healthcare auditors with an AI-native Audit Lifecycle Platform to support faster, clearer and more rigorous audits. Customers can coordinate HIPAA, SOC 2, PCI DSS and multiple HITRUST assessments through one connected experience, rather than managing every requirement in isolation.

The Gretzky analogy may be a little overused, but healthcare companies really do need to plan their audit strategy toward where their compliance requirements are going. Selecting an auditor based only on the report needed today can leave the organization repeating work, changing providers and rebuilding processes as new obligations emerge. Choosing a partner that can support the next two or three audits gives the business a stronger foundation for growth and makes each new requirement easier to absorb.

Learn more about Thoropass healthcare compliance and audit services.

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