You Probably Don't Need HITRUST

I've led multiple HITRUST certifications over the past decade — from full r2 implementations across 19 control domains to recertifications under aggressive timelines.

So believe me when I say: most companies pursuing HITRUST shouldn't be.

Here's the conversation I keep having with startup founders and security leaders:

"A prospect asked if we're HITRUST certified, so we're starting the process."

Stop. A prospect asking about HITRUST is not the same as a contract requiring it.

What HITRUST actually costs

• 9–18 months of organizational effort
• Six figures all-in between assessor fees, the MyCSF subscription, tooling, and internal time
• Ongoing maintenance — this isn't a one-time badge, it's a recurring commitment

What most buyers actually need to see

• SOC 2 Type II with HIPAA-mapped controls
• A real security program with evidence behind it
• Clear, fast answers to their security questionnaire

In my experience running security reviews from the vendor side, the overwhelming majority of enterprise deals close on SOC 2 + a strong HIPAA posture. HITRUST becomes non-negotiable in one scenario: a payer or large health system writes it into the contract. If that's your market, plan for it — and even then, look hard at whether e1 or i1 gets you through the door before committing to r2.

The pattern I see over and over: a company burns a year and a huge chunk of its security budget chasing HITRUST to satisfy a prospect who would have signed with SOC 2 — while foundational work (vendor risk, incident response, access reviews) sits untouched.

Compliance should accelerate revenue, not consume it.

Before you commit to HITRUST, ask three questions

• Is a signed or near-signed contract explicitly requiring it?
• Does the requirement specify r2, or would e1/i1 satisfy it?
• What security work are we not doing to fund this?

If you can't answer the first question with a contract in hand, you have a sales enablement problem, not a certification problem. Those are solved very differently — and much more cheaply.