Apple Healthcare Security Baseline Released with Emory Expert Guidance

Dr. Elias Kikano, division chief for imaging informatics at Emory University, explained the new Apple device security baseline that aligns macOS, iOS and iPadOS controls with the Health Industry Cybersecurity Practices (HICP) guidance from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Developed through the macOS Security Compliance Project—a collaboration of NIST, Apple, the Defense Information Systems Agency and others—the baseline maps Apple platform controls to federal standards such as NIST SP 800‑53 and 800‑171. The reference can be downloaded and adapted by health systems, giving them a ready‑made framework for deploying Macs, iPhones and iPads in clinical environments while meeting medium‑ and large‑organization compliance requirements. Dr. Kikano, who also leads Emory’s Apple rollout, says the baseline removes the “blank page” challenge that has slowed Apple adoption in healthcare.

The effort provides a concrete starting point for hospitals and other medical organizations to secure Apple hardware, supporting password enforcement, network restrictions and other auditable controls required by federal agencies.