If your business handles health information — medical offices, dental practices, therapists, pharmacies, even some law firms with medical records — HIPAA compliance isn't optional, and it extends to your IT systems.

What HIPAA Requires from Your Technology

At its core, HIPAA requires protecting patient health information from unauthorized access. That means: access controls (every user has their own login), encryption (data encrypted in transit and at rest), audit trails (tracking who accessed what), backup and disaster recovery, and physical security for computers with PHI.

Common Mistakes We See

Sharing a single login across the office. Sending patient information over regular unencrypted email. No backup system — or a backup that's never been tested. Computers anyone can access without a password. Old machines running unsupported Windows versions.

HIPAA fines start at $100 per violation and can reach $50,000 per incident. Small practices aren't exempt.

Getting Started

The first step is a security risk assessment — HIPAA actually requires this. Document what PHI you handle, where it's stored, what safeguards exist, and where the gaps are. Then address the gaps.