SE Radio 639: Cody Ebberson on Regulated Industries
Oct 23, 2024
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Cody Ebberson, Co-founder and CTO of Medplum and an experienced software engineer, dives into the challenges of software development in regulated industries like healthcare and finance. He discusses how to translate regulatory demands into actionable tests, emphasizing the importance of automation. The conversation covers navigating compliance while maintaining agility, risk management strategies, and the balancing act between security updates and operational stability. Cody also examines the role of automation in testing and the complexities surrounding logging in these sensitive environments.
Navigating regulated industries like healthcare and finance requires adherence to stringent regulations, adding complexity to the software development process.
Translating regulatory requirements into actionable test specifications and automating these tests can significantly streamline workflows and ensure compliance throughout development.
Deep dives
Understanding Regulated Industries
Regulated industries, such as healthcare and finance, are characterized by stringent requirements to protect user rights, data, and safety. These industries face layers of legal and ethical obligations that surpass those of less regulated sectors, like entertainment. For example, regulations like HIPAA in healthcare aim to safeguard sensitive information and ensure compliance with legal standards. Additionally, various organizations and market forces contribute to the development of these regulations, ensuring that businesses operate securely and ethically.
Challenges of Compliance Across Regions
Regulations can vary significantly across geographical boundaries, posing challenges for companies operating in multiple jurisdictions. In the U.S. healthcare system, for instance, different states enforce distinct regulations that impact how healthcare technology companies operate. Internationally, standards developed by entities such as ISO can promote interoperability and compliance but may not be universally accepted. This complexity often requires organizations to navigate a patchwork of rules, necessitating adaptations for different geographical markets.
Translating Regulations into Developer Practices
Developers can effectively integrate compliance requirements into their workflows by translating regulatory mandates into actionable project specifications. This proactive approach involves implementing unit tests and automated checks within continuous integration and deployment (CICD) pipelines, ensuring compliance at every stage of development. By adopting these practices, organizations can minimize the friction often associated with regulatory compliance, allowing for faster and more confident shipping of features. For example, incorporating security standards into CICD ensures that potential compliance violations are identified early in the development process.
Managing Legacy Code and Regulations
The maintenance of legacy code can become particularly complex in regulated environments, as regulations may require updates to security protocols and encryption practices. Companies often face pressure to upgrade their systems while dealing with existing client demands that may oppose such changes. An illustrative case involves the healthcare industry, where outdated technologies like fax machines still see usage due to regulatory grandfathering. Ultimately, organizations must strike a balance between adhering to regulations and fulfilling customer expectations while ensuring that systems remain secure and efficient.
Cody Ebberson, CTO of Medplum, joins host Sam Taggart to discuss the constraints that working in regulated industries add to the software development process. They explore some general aspects of developing for regulated industries, such as healthcare and finance, as well as a range of specific considerations that can add complexity and effort. Cody describes how translating regulatory requirements into test specifications and automating those tests can help streamline software development in these regulated environments.