Does a HITRUST certification offer actual economic benefits beyond just meeting regulatory requirements?
In a landscape where compliance investments must withstand scrutiny from all angles, decision-makers demand clarity around the tangible value of security certifications and often ask themselves, does achieving HITRUST certification simply check a box for regulators—or does it deliver measurable economic advantages worth the considerable effort?
To answer these questions, we reviewed the findings of the HITRUST Alliance’s recent study to assess how the promise of ROI aligns with the realities facing organizations navigating a complex risk environment.
About the Economic Value of Trust Study
The HITRUST Alliance’s Enterprise Strategy Group conducted a comprehensive analysis to calculate ROI, leveraging proprietary financial models, industry-standard methodologies, and customer-reported data.
The analysis applied conservative assumptions to assess the total cost of achieving HITRUST certification, including direct certification expenses and avoided costs. It also quantified a range of potential benefits, such as improved operational efficiency, reduced risk from fewer security breaches, enhanced regulatory compliance, minimized downtime, and incremental revenue opportunities driven by HITRUST certification. By capturing both cost savings and strategic value, the model attempts to provide a holistic view of HITRUST’s overall economic impact. Based on this approach, the Enterprise Strategy Group estimated a staggering 464% ROI for organizations that adopt the HITRUST certification framework.
Below is our summary of the key aspects of the study including perspective on the study claims and realities of HITRUST certification.
Does HITRUST Certification Reduce Cyber Insurance Costs?
Claim: HITRUST certification allows for avoided costs tied to discounted cyber insurance premiums, including not only lower annual insurance costs but also improved coverage quality and administrative efficiency.
Conclusion: Partially True
While exact savings may vary, a growing number of insurance providers, including direct partners of the HITRUST Alliance, are offering reduced premiums for organizations reaching certification in HITRUST r2 validated assessments. However, these discounts are not universally applied, and organizations should not assume automatic reductions. Actual savings will depend on the insurer, broker, industry risk posture, and scope of coverage.
Can HITRUST Deliver Operational Efficiency Savings?
Claim: Organizations with HITRUST certifications reported that HITRUST’s structured and comprehensive approach enabled them to reuse documentation across frameworks, minimizing duplication and reducing the effort required for additional assessments.
Conclusion: Partially True
The unique combination and consideration of multiple frameworks does make documentation associated with HITRUST certification easier to leverage efforts across other frameworks. This rings especially true for organizations utilizing GRC automation tools such as Vanta or Drata.
However, while HITRUST’s framework alignment can streamline evidence reuse, many customers and regulators still require organizations to maintain additional attestations or certifications such as SOC 2, PCI DSS, or ISO 27001. As a result, HITRUST certification alone does not necessarily eliminate the need for parallel compliance efforts, meaning efficiency gains are often incremental rather than absolute.
Can HITRUST Certification Reduce the Likelihood of Cyber Incidents?
Claim: Customers with HITRUST certifications reported reduced breach-related costs, minimized regulatory penalties, and avoided downtime.
Conclusion: True*
These claims are true for any organization with an elevated security posture, not just those with a HITRUST certification. Previous HITRUST reports have indicated that less than 1% of HITRUST-certified organizations have fallen victim to a cyber event. However, the degree of risk reduction depends heavily on the level of certification pursued, ranging from the baseline e1 (44 requirements), to the more moderate i1 (182 requirements), up to the rigorous r2 assessment (average of ~289 requirements).
Each tier reflects a different depth of control maturity and assurance, and while higher-level certifications can provide stronger evidence of security and compliance, they also demand greater investment in time, cost, and operational discipline. Organizations should therefore view HITRUST as one component of a broader risk management strategy rather than a blanket guarantee of protection.
Can HITRUST Certification Lead to Incremental Revenue Gains?
Claim: HITRUST certification led to indirect revenue gains, including faster sales cycles due to pre-validated security posture, competitive differentiation in regulated industries, and the ability to command premium pricing in certain contracts.
Conclusion: Plausible
This claim is the hardest to quantify; however, the logic is sound. HITRUST certification is an indication of a mature environment and that security is baked into the ethos of the organization. This will often lead to services or products being more marketable and will in-turn increase revenue. It’s kind of like a professional sports team upgrading its training facility. The facility doesn’t win games, but it shows commitment to excellence and attracts top recruits, which ultimately improves performance on the field.
Overall Conclusion on Economic Value of Trust: True (Results May Vary)
Overall, the benefits outlined within the report are true for all organizations with an elevated security posture. In turn, achieving HITRUST certification does indicate a mature environment and that the organization is security minded. Even if ROI isn’t 464% as the report indicates, it would be hard to deny some of the value provided by the certification as outlined within the report.
How Can Schneider Downs Help?
As an Authorized HITRUST External Assessor Firm, Schneider Downs has a strong track record with HITRUST protocols, providing trusted guidance and support throughout the certification process. For more information, contact our HITRUST team at: [email protected].
About IT Risk Advisory
Schneider Downs’ team of experienced risk advisory professionals focus on collaborating with your organization to identify and effectively mitigate risks. Our goal is to understand not only the risks related to potential loss to the organization, but to drive solutions that add value to your organization and advise on opportunities to ensure minimal disruption to your business.
To learn more, visit our dedicated IT Risk Advisory page.
