Free Trial: Complete Your Annual HIPAA Risk Assessment
Your organization must conduct a HIPAA Risk Assessment. Conducting and documenting a risk analysis (often called a “HIPAA risk assessment”) is a statutory requirement under the HIPAA Security Rule for any covered entity or business associate that creates, receives, maintains, or transmits electronic Protected Health Information (ePHI).
The Security Rule at 45 C.F.R. § 164.308(a)(1)(ii)(A) requires a risk analysis to assess the potential risks and vulnerabilities to the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of ePHI. The risk assessment is not optional or “addressable”. A HIPAA Risk Assessment is explicitly required.
Consequences for Risk Assessment Failures
Risk assessment failures, including missing and inadequate risk assessments, are routinely cited by the HHS Office for Civil Rights (OCR) in its enforcement actions and usually result in financial penalties. OCR currently has an enforcement initiative specifically targeting noncompliance with this Security Rule provision and has already imposed 10 financial penalties under that ongoing risk assessment initiative.
An annual risk assessment is strongly recommended, and essential following any material change in technology, vendors, facilities, or a security incident.
Free HIPAA Risk Assessment
Compliancy Group’s all-in-one compliance software, The Guard, will help you to meet your compliance obligations through guided tools and pre-built templates.
The Guard HIPAA compliance software can complete your entire annual HIPAA Risk Assessment, guiding you through all the requirements of this HIPAA Security Rule provision. It is easier, faster, and more comprehensive to use software to guide you through the process and generate a report to demonstrate compliance.
