Most HIPAA checklists a new practice finds online are written for hospitals, not solo or small group practices, and they bury the handful of items that actually matter under dozens that don't apply yet. Here's what a new practice genuinely needs in place early.
A Notice of Privacy Practices, posted and given to patients, is a baseline requirement, not optional paperwork. A documented Security Risk Assessment matters more than most new practices realize, it's the single most commonly cited gap when the HHS Office for Civil Rights investigates a breach, and it's free to do using the official Security Risk Assessment Tool built jointly by ONC and OCR.
Written by John M. Abrahams, MD — board-certified neurosurgeon, founder of New York Brain & Spine Surgery.
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