As your medical practice expands, so do the challenges of managing compliance. HIPAA isn’t just a legal obligation — it’s a critical part of protecting your patients’ trust and your clinic’s reputation.
Whether you're a solo physician scaling up or a mid-sized practice with new locations, staying HIPAA-compliant requires more than secure passwords and locked file cabinets. This checklist will help you cover your bases across administrative, technical, and physical safeguards — and prepare you for audits or growth transitions.
These are your practice’s policies, procedures, and people-focused controls.
Conduct a Risk Assessment
Identify vulnerabilities in your systems, workflows, and third-party vendors.
Develop a Written HIPAA Policy
Outline how your practice protects ePHI (electronic Protected Health Information).
Train All Employees Annually
Include role-based training for front desk staff, nurses, and administrative teams.
Appoint a HIPAA Privacy & Security Officer
Even in small practices, someone should be designated to oversee compliance.
Establish a Breach Notification Process
Define how you will detect, report, and respond to incidents within the 60-day window.
These focus on your IT systems, devices, and data handling procedures.
Enable Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA)
For all systems that access ePHI — including email, cloud platforms, and EHRs.
Use Encryption at Rest and in Transit
Encrypt all devices, servers, and data backups that store patient information.
Regularly Patch and Update Systems
Automate OS and software updates to protect against known vulnerabilities.
Set Up Role-Based Access Controls
Staff should only access the information they need to do their job.
Deploy Endpoint Detection & Response (EDR)
Proactively detect and isolate threats on devices like laptops and tablets.
Protecting the physical environment where data is accessed and stored.
Restrict Access to Sensitive Areas
Server rooms, storage cabinets, and admin-only workstations should be locked and monitored.
Implement Device Management Policies
Create guidelines for mobile phones, tablets, and laptops used by staff.
Log and Monitor Facility Entry Points
Use access cards or key logs to track who enters areas where PHI is stored.
Secure Workstations and Screens
Use privacy filters, automatic screen locks, and secure printers.
Keep Documentation Ready
Risk assessments, policies, and training logs should be easily accessible.
Run Internal Audits
Test your own compliance annually — or better yet, work with a compliance-focused IT partner.
HIPAA compliance isn’t just a checkbox — it’s an ongoing process. The more your practice grows, the more critical it becomes to have scalable IT policies and a proactive compliance strategy.
At AE Technology Solutions, we help healthcare practices implement HIPAA-compliant infrastructure, train their staff, and stay prepared for audits — so you can focus on what matters most: patient care.
💬 schedule a free HIPAA readiness consultation today.