How PIAM Supports Identity Governance in Healthcare Mergers and Acquisitions

Introduction: Mergers Are Complicated—Access Shouldn’t Be

In today’s dynamic healthcare landscape, mergers and acquisitions (M&A) are becoming more frequent than ever. Health systems are consolidating to improve operational scale, expand geographic reach, and drive down costs. While the business case for M&A is clear, the operational reality is anything but simple—especially when it comes to managing identity and access control.

Following a merger, healthcare organizations are suddenly faced with the challenge of integrating thousands of employees, multiple facility security systems, and disparate access control policies—all while ensuring compliance with regulations like HIPAA, OSHA, and The Joint Commission. Without a unified identity governance strategy, the result is chaos: access delays, security gaps, compliance risk, and frustrated staff.

That’s why healthcare leaders are turning to Physical Identity and Access Management (PIAM) solutions like Soloinsight’s CloudGate PIAM. By centralizing identity governance and access provisioning, PIAM enables newly merged healthcare entities to achieve seamless integration across campuses, departments, and systems—ensuring that everyone has the right access, at the right time, for the right reason.

In this blog, we explore how PIAM supports identity governance during healthcare mergers and acquisitions, helping institutions transition securely, efficiently, and with confidence.

The Identity Chaos of Healthcare M&A

1. Disparate Access Systems

• Each entity may use different badge systems, PACS platforms, and visitor policies.

• Some may rely on manual sign-ins, while others use biometrics or mobile credentials.

• No unified source of truth leads to inconsistent access permissions and security loopholes.

2. Complex, Multisite Staff Movements

• Doctors, nurses, and technicians often rotate across merged campuses.

• Without integrated identity systems, staff end up carrying multiple badges or requesting manual access at each site.

3. Risk of Over-Privileged or Under-Privileged Access

• Merged staff may receive excessive access out of convenience—or none at all.

• This creates compliance vulnerabilities, insider threat risks, and workflow bottlenecks.

4. Increased Regulatory Scrutiny

• Mergers often trigger regulatory audits, and regulators expect proof that merged facilities maintain tight access controls, consistent policies, and comprehensive logging.

How PIAM Supports Identity Governance

Soloinsight’s CloudGate PIAM offers a centralized platform to bring order, control, and visibility to the identity chaos that mergers often create.

1. Unified Identity Repository Across Systems

CloudGate PIAM integrates with:

• HR systems from both entities (e.g., Workday, PeopleSoft)

• Credentialing platforms and directory services (e.g., Active Directory, Azure AD)

• Badge systems, biometrics, and mobile credential platforms

This creates a single identity record per user, regardless of which system they originated from. Each identity is linked to:

• Verified role and title

• Certifications and licenses

• Schedule and location assignments

For example, a physician who previously worked at Hospital A and now rotates to Hospital B is issued one identity with location-based access rules, not two separate badge profiles.

2. Role-Based Access Harmonization

One of the biggest post-merger challenges is aligning roles across organizations. PIAM allows healthcare leaders to:

• Define enterprise-wide role templates (e.g., ICU Nurse, Radiology Tech, Pharmacist)

• Map existing roles from legacy systems to new, standardized profiles

• Assign access permissions by department, zone, facility, and shift

Access policies automatically adjust as roles are reconciled, preventing both over-access and under-access.

3. Time- and Location-Based Access Provisioning

CloudGate PIAM supports:

• Contextual access rules based on location, schedule, and job function

• Real-time access provisioning across merged facilities

• Auto-revocation when contracts end, roles change, or mergers complete

This enables staff to move seamlessly between sites while adhering to strict zone restrictions. For instance:

• A nurse scheduled at Site C next week is automatically provisioned temporary access beginning 24 hours in advance and revoked at shift end.

4. Cross-Facility Mobile Credentialing

PIAM eliminates the need for multiple badges. Instead, it:

• Issues mobile credentials that work across all merged locations

• Applies geofencing and zone controls to limit access by facility and department

• Enables touchless, real-time credential updates in response to role or schedule changes

This reduces friction for mobile staff, contractors, and leadership who need multi-campus access.

5. Real-Time Monitoring Across the New Enterprise

CloudGate PIAM provides:

• A unified dashboard showing live occupancy, access patterns, and credential usage across all facilities

• Alerts for anomalies, such as badge-in without scheduled shift, access to unauthorized zones, or credential misuse

Security and compliance teams gain full situational awareness—no matter how large the newly merged enterprise becomes.

6. Audit-Ready, Tamper-Proof Logs for Compliance

All identity and access activity is logged, including:

• Badge or biometric entries

• Mobile credential usage

• Temporary access grants and revocations

• Policy violations and emergency overrides

Reports are formatted to meet:

• HIPAA and Joint Commission standards

• State and federal health compliance audits

• Internal merger reconciliation and IT compliance reviews

One health system using CloudGate PIAM generated consolidated access audit reports across 15 merged facilities in under 3 hours, saving weeks of manual effort.

Use Cases: PIAM in Action During M&A

1. Onboarding Staff from Acquired Entities

• HR integrates legacy personnel data into PIAM

• Access policies are auto-assigned based on role mapping and department

• Staff begin work immediately with correct access, zero badge delays

2. Secure Access for IT Transition Teams

• Temporary access granted to designated IT and facilities personnel for system integrations

• All activity tracked and auto-expired post-project

3. Policy Harmonization Across Sites

• Different PACS systems are integrated under one access policy framework

• Local access rules maintained but governed by enterprise-wide identity policy

Business Benefits of PIAM During Healthcare Mergers

1. Accelerated Operational Integration

• Staff can move, work, and provide care across all facilities without re-badging or manual overrides.

2. Reduced Security Risk

• Eliminates duplicate, stale, or unauthorized credentials

• Harmonized roles reduce insider threats and privilege creep

3. Lower Compliance Burden

• Centralized policy enforcement and audit logs reduce workload for security and compliance teams

• Supports clean regulatory inspections during post-merger evaluations

A large hospital group saved $1.2M in integration costs and passed a multi-state compliance review with zero access-related violations after deploying CloudGate PIAM during its acquisition process.

Case Study: Streamlining Identity Access After a Major Hospital Merger

Two regional health systems, combining over:

• 80 hospitals

• 250 outpatient centers

• 100,000+ staff

Faced:

• Disparate access control platforms

• Multiple credentials per user

• Inconsistent visitor policies and badge permissions

After implementing Soloinsight’s CloudGate PIAM:

• One unified identity was created per user, with location-based rules

• 70% of badge duplications were eliminated in 90 days

• Mobile credentials became the standard for roaming clinical and IT staff

• Regulatory audits across both original systems were passed with no findings

The Future of M&A Identity Integration: Real-Time, Risk-Aware, Intelligent

As healthcare consolidation accelerates, PIAM platforms will:

• Leverage AI to predict access needs during the merger process

• Automate compliance scoring across facilities in real time

• Visualize movement and access across merged campuses using digital twins

Identity governance will become not just a post-merger necessity, but a pre-merger asset—streamlining everything from valuation to integration.

Conclusion: PIAM Makes Mergers Work at the Identity Level

In a post-merger healthcare environment, nothing matters more than getting people in the right place, with the right access, right away. Soloinsight’s CloudGate

PIAM empowers healthcare organizations to:

• Centralize identity governance across legacy systems

• Harmonize access policies in real time

• Comply with regulations while scaling operations

If your healthcare organization is preparing for or navigating a merger, contact Soloinsight today for a CloudGate PIAM demo.

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