How to Automate HITRUST r2 Evidence Collection in 2026

HITRUST r2 validated assessments are notoriously rigorous, requiring organizations to provide concrete evidence for hundreds of controls across 19 CSF (Common Security Framework) control domains. While cloud providers offer inheritance for physical security, the burden of proving application-level compliance—through logs, configurations, and screenshots—falls squarely on your team. Automating HITRUST r2 evidence collection is the only scalable way to manage this documentation load, reducing assessment preparation time from 6+ months to just a few weeks while ensuring your submission is ready for the MyCSF portal.

What Evidence Do HITRUST Assessors Require for r2 Certification?

Answer: HITRUST assessors require evidence that proves controls are functioning at specific maturity levels. For an r2 validated assessment, you typically need to demonstrate Level 3 (Implemented) maturity, which demands visual proof that policies are actually in practice.

Unlike lighter assessments, you cannot rely solely on policy documents. You must provide:

Operational Evidence: Screenshots of system configurations, firewall rules, and encryption settings.
Population Evidence: Lists of users, assets, or changes to allow assessors to select samples.
Sample Testing: Detailed screenshots showing the workflow for specific samples (e.g., a screenshot of a specific user's access rights).

Understanding HITRUST Maturity Levels for Evidence

Automation specifically targets Level 3 (Implemented) and Level 4 (Measured).

Maturity Level	Requirement	Evidence Type	Automation Potential
1. Policy	Policies exist	Word/PDF Documents	Low (Static)
2. Procedure	Processes defined	SOPs / Playbooks	Low (Static)
3. Implemented	Controls are active	Screenshots, Configs, Logs	High (Screenata)
4. Measured	Effectiveness tracked	Metrics, Dashboards	Medium (API)
5. Managed	Corrective actions	Root Cause Analysis	Low (Manual)

The Complete HITRUST r2 Evidence Checklist

HITRUST CSF covers 19 control domains. Below is a checklist of the domains that require the most intensive manual screenshot evidence and how to automate them.

1. Access Control (Domain 01)

Controls regarding user registration, privilege management, and review.

Control Requirement	Required Evidence (Artifacts)	Automation Method
01.b User Registration	Screenshots of the ticketing system showing approval workflows for new user creation.	Screenata / Workflow Recorder
01.c Privilege Mgmt	Screenshots of role definitions and "Access Denied" screens for lower-privilege users.	Workflow Recorder
01.q Access Review	Export of user lists + screenshots of the review ticket closure.	API + Screenshot

2. Audit Logging & Monitoring (Domain 09)

Controls ensuring activities are recorded and reviewed.

Control Requirement	Required Evidence (Artifacts)	Automation Method
09.aa Audit Logging	Screenshots of log configuration settings (e.g., CloudTrail, Splunk) showing retention periods.	API + Console Screenshot
09.ab Monitoring	Screenshots of alert definitions and notification channels (e.g., Slack/PagerDuty).	Console Screenshot

3. Vulnerability Management (Domain 10)

Controls for preventing and detecting technical vulnerabilities.

Control Requirement	Required Evidence (Artifacts)	Automation Method
10.m Control of Vulns	Screenshots of automated patch management settings and recent scan reports.	API + Screenshot
10.j Penetration Testing	Evidence of remediation tickets linked to pen test findings.	Workflow Recorder

4. Configuration Management (Domain 06)

Controls for secure system baselines.

Control Requirement	Required Evidence (Artifacts)	Automation Method
06.e Change Mgmt	Screenshots of Pull Request approvals and CI/CD pipeline success logs.	API + Screenshot
06.d Dev/Test/Prod	Screenshots showing separation of environments (e.g., different URLs/VPCs).	Console Screenshot

Where Traditional HITRUST Assessment Automation Falls Short

Many healthcare organizations use GRC platforms or the MyCSF portal itself to manage assessments. While these tools are excellent for mapping controls and storing policies, they do not automate the creation of evidence.

The Gap in Traditional Tools:

Static Repositories: MyCSF allows you to upload evidence, but it doesn't go into your systems to fetch it. You still have to manually take the screenshot.
Infrastructure Only: Tools like Drata or Vanta cover cloud infrastructure (AWS/Azure) well, but HITRUST r2 requires deep evidence from your EHR integration, admin panels, and ticketing systems—areas where APIs often don't exist or don't provide the visual context assessors demand.
Sampling Fatigue: Assessors often ask for 25+ samples for a single control (e.g., "Show me evidence of access revocation for these 25 terminated employees"). Manually searching and screenshotting 25 records takes hours.

Automated evidence collection bridges this gap by using AI agents to perform the retrieval and screenshotting tasks, packaging the results specifically for assessor review.

How to Automate HITRUST r2 Evidence Collection

To automate the collection of HITRUST r2 evidence, follow this workflow to transform manual "screenshot days" into automated background tasks.

Step 1: Map Controls to Evidence Sources

Identify which systems hold the "Implemented" evidence for your applicable controls.

01.b (Access): Jira Service Desk
09.aa (Logging): Datadog / AWS CloudWatch
06.e (Change): GitHub / GitLab

Step 2: Deploy Workflow Automation

Use Screenata to record the evidence collection process.

Task: "Capture User Registration Evidence."
Automation: The agent logs into Jira, filters for "New User" tickets closed in the last quarter, opens a sample ticket, and captures the approval comment and the timestamp.
Scale: The agent can repeat this for 25 samples in minutes, whereas a human would take hours.

Step 3: Generate Assessor-Ready Packs

HITRUST assessors prefer evidence that is organized and traceable.

Output: Generate a PDF that includes the Control ID (e.g., 01.b), the objective, the tester identity, and the timestamped screenshots.
Naming Convention: Automate file naming to match MyCSF requirements (e.g., 01.b_User_Registration_Q1_2026.pdf).

Step 4: Upload to MyCSF

Upload the standardized evidence packs to the HITRUST MyCSF portal, linking them to the relevant requirement statements.

Example: Documenting User Registration (01.b)

Control Requirement: The organization must ensure that a formal user registration and de-registration procedure is implemented for granting and revoking access to all information systems and services.

Manual Evidence Collection:

Log into the ticketing system.
Search for a new hire ticket.
Screenshot the ticket details.
Scroll down to find the manager approval.
Screenshot the approval.
Paste into a Word doc and highlight the timestamps.

Automated Evidence Collection:

Trigger: Screenata runs the "User Registration Audit" workflow.
Execution: The system navigates to the ticketing portal, locates the target ticket ID, and captures a full-page scrolling screenshot.
Validation: AI verifies that "Approval Status: Approved" is visible in the image.
Output: A PDF labeled Evidence_01.b_Ticket_PROJ-123.pdf is generated and saved to the evidence library.

HITRUST r2 vs i1 vs e1 Evidence Requirements

Automation is valuable for all HITRUST assessments, but it is critical for r2 due to the volume of evidence required.

Feature	HITRUST e1	HITRUST i1	HITRUST r2
Type	Self-Assessment	Validated (1-year)	Validated (2-year)
Assurance Level	Low	Moderate	High
Control Count	~44	~219	200 - 1000+
Evidence Depth	Policy + basic implementation	Implementation evidence	Deep implementation + sampling
Effort (Manual)	2-4 weeks	2-3 months	6-12 months
Effort (Automated)	< 1 week	2-3 weeks	6-8 weeks

Frequently Asked Questions

Can HITRUST evidence automation help with HIPAA compliance?

Yes. HITRUST CSF maps directly to HIPAA regulations. Evidence collected for HITRUST controls (like access control and audit logging) serves as proof of compliance for HIPAA Security Rule administrative and technical safeguards.

Does automated evidence satisfy External Assessors?

Yes, provided the evidence is authentic and integrous. Automated screenshots must include timestamps, source URLs, and metadata proving they were captured from the live production system. Screenata's output is designed to meet these assessor standards.

How does "Inheritance" work with automation?

Inheritance allows you to rely on your cloud provider's HITRUST certification for physical controls. However, you cannot inherit application-level controls (like your user access reviews). Automation focuses on the non-inheritable controls that you are responsible for.

Key Takeaways

✅ HITRUST r2 requires evidence for Level 3 (Implemented) maturity, which means screenshots and logs, not just policies.
✅ Manual collection is unscalable for r2 assessments due to the high volume of controls (200+) and sampling requirements.
✅ Traditional GRC tools manage the assessment process but fail to capture the actual application-level screenshots.
✅ Automation allows you to capture evidence for Access Control (01.b), Logging (09.aa), and Change Mgmt (06.e) automatically.
✅ Consistency in file naming and formatting speeds up the External Assessor's review in the MyCSF portal.

Related HITRUST r2 Guides

Explore our detailed guides on specific HITRUST certification topics:

HITRUST r2 Assessment Readiness Checklist — A complete checklist for preparing your organization for HITRUST r2 validated assessment
HITRUST CSF vs SOC 2: Evidence Requirements Compared — Detailed comparison of evidence requirements between HITRUST and SOC 2
How to Use HITRUST to Prove HIPAA Compliance — Leverage HITRUST certification to demonstrate HIPAA compliance
Financial Services HITRUST Certification Guide — Evidence requirements for banks and fintechs pursuing HITRUST
HITRUST r2 Evidence Collection for SaaS Vendors — How SaaS vendors can automate HITRUST evidence for healthcare sales
HITRUST MyCSF Portal: Evidence Upload Best Practices — File naming, formatting, and upload strategies for MyCSF