Is Jira HIPAA Compliant? What Healthcare Organizations Need to Know

For healthcare organizations and businesses handling protected health information (PHI), compliance with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) is a fundamental requirement. However, as organizations increasingly adopt modern cloud-based collaboration and service management tools, ensuring compliance becomes more complex. Atlassian’s suite of products—particularly Jira and Confluence—offers powerful solutions for enterprise teams, but are they suitable for HIPAA-compliant environments? This guide breaks down the current state of Atlassian’s HIPAA compliance, comparing Cloud and Data Center deployment options and providing best practices for maintaining compliance.

What You’ll Learn

An overview of HIPAA compliance
The HIPAA compliance status of Jira and Confluence Cloud
The HIPAA compliance considerations for Jira and Confluence Data Center
Best practices for using Jira in HIPAA-compliant environments

Is Jira HIPAA-Compliant?

HIPAA compliance is a critical concern for healthcare organizations and any entity handling protected health information (PHI). Atlassian has made strides in ensuring HIPAA compliance for select products. As of February 2023, Atlassian has implemented HIPAA compliance for specific Cloud products on its Enterprise plan. Additionally, Atlassian Data Center products continue to provide a self-hosted alternative for organizations that require full control over their compliance framework.

However, achieving HIPAA compliance is not solely about using a compliant product. Organizations must ensure their hosting, access controls, and plugin usage align with their HIPAA compliance program.

Interested in learning more about HIPAA compliance with Atlassian? Oxalis can help guide you through the decision-making and implementation process. Contact us below to get in touch. Keep reading to learn more about which Atlassian products are now HIPAA-compliant.

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Are Jira and Confluence Cloud HIPAA-Compliant?

The short answer: partially. Atlassian provides HIPAA compliance for select Cloud products, but only under its Enterprise plan. Atlassian is also prepared to sign Business Associate Agreements (BAAs) for the following products:

Jira Software Cloud
Jira Service Management Cloud
Confluence Cloud

Notably, Jira Work Management is not HIPAA-compliant, and Atlassian has no current plans to make it so. Organizations using non-Enterprise Cloud plans should anticipate future expansions of HIPAA compliance, but currently, only Enterprise customers can fully leverage HIPAA protections.

For organizations considering Atlassian Cloud, it is essential to follow Atlassian’s HIPAA Implementation Guide to configure their environment properly.

Is Jira/Confluence Data Center HIPAA Compliant?

The answer: it depends on your hosting strategy.

Atlassian Data Center offers a viable solution for organizations handling PHI, as it can be self-hosted or managed by a healthcare-oriented Managed Service Provider (MSP). This model provides greater control over compliance policies, security configurations, and access permissions. When properly implemented, Jira and Confluence Data Center can be part of a HIPAA-compliant infrastructure.

Organizations should ensure their Data Center deployment includes:

Secure hosting (on-premise or through an MSP with HIPAA safeguards)
Role-based access controls and audit logging
Regular security assessments and compliance audits

If you’re deciding between Cloud and Data Center for HIPAA compliance, our article Atlassian Cloud vs. Data Center: Which is Better for Healthcare Organizations? provides a detailed comparison.

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Regardless of whether you use Atlassian’s Cloud or Data Center products, we recommend the following:

Ensure your infrastructure’s configuration and controls (internally hosted or managed by an MSP) are aligned with your organization’s HIPAA Compliance Program.
Leverage a Data Loss Prevention (DLP) tool to keep PHI/PII out of your system, and eliminate it if found.
Analyze which plugins you intend to use, and whether the third party vendor is considered a business associate subject to a BAA.
Consider your options for remediating PHI/PII accidentally stored in issue data/history, pages, and attachments.

For an in-depth review, check out our article Atlassian Cloud vs Data Center: Which is Better for Healthcare Organizations?

Best Practices for HIPAA Compliance with Atlassian Products

Regardless of whether you choose Atlassian Cloud or Data Center, ensuring HIPAA compliance requires careful planning. Oxalis recommends the following best practices:

Align Hosting and Configuration with HIPAA Requirements
Ensure your Cloud or Data Center infrastructure aligns with your organization’s HIPAA compliance program.
Use a Data Loss Prevention (DLP) Tool
Implement a DLP solution to prevent PHI from being stored inadvertently and ensure it is removed when necessary.
Evaluate Third-Party Apps and Plugins
Review third-party apps and integrations to determine if vendors qualify as business associates and require a BAA.
Develop a Remediation Plan for PHI Storage
Establish procedures for identifying and removing PHI/PII that may have been accidentally stored in issues, pages, or attachments.

How Oxalis Can Help

At Oxalis, we understand that security and compliance are critical for healthcare organizations. Our team has extensive experience helping organizations determine whether Atlassian Cloud or Data Center is the right fit for their HIPAA compliance needs. We provide expert guidance on implementation, configuration, and ongoing compliance management.

If you need assistance navigating HIPAA compliance with Atlassian products, contact Oxalis today to schedule a consultation with our experts.

To learn more about making the right choice for your organization, download our whitepaper: Atlassian Cloud vs. Data Center: Key Considerations for Enterprise, Compliance-Heavy Organizations.