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Strategic Advisory

HIPAA Security Assessment

Protect patient data. Avoid penalties.

Evaluate your safeguards against HIPAA Security Rule requirements for protected health information.

Overview

HIPAA's Security Rule requires covered entities and business associates to implement safeguards protecting electronic protected health information (ePHI). We assess your organization against all Security Rule requirements—administrative, physical, and technical safeguards—to identify gaps that could expose patient data or trigger enforcement actions. This framework mapping shows exactly where you meet requirements and where you fall short.

What We Test

Our hipaa security assessment engagements cover these key areas:

Administrative Safeguards

Security management, workforce security, information access management, training, and contingency planning.

Physical Safeguards

Facility access controls, workstation security, and device and media controls.

Technical Safeguards

Access controls, audit controls, integrity controls, and transmission security.

Organizational Requirements

Business associate agreements and policies/procedures documentation.

Risk Analysis

Required risk analysis completeness and risk management program.

Our Approach

We evaluate your environment against all HIPAA Security Rule standards, distinguishing between required and addressable implementation specifications.

1

ePHI Inventory

We identify where electronic protected health information is created, received, maintained, or transmitted.

2

Safeguard Assessment

Each administrative, physical, and technical safeguard is evaluated for implementation.

3

Risk Analysis Review

We assess your risk analysis methodology and documentation for completeness.

4

Gap Remediation Plan

Findings are prioritized based on risk to ePHI and likelihood of enforcement attention.

Common Findings

These are issues we frequently discover during hipaa security assessment engagements:

Incomplete Risk Analysis

Critical

Risk analysis not covering all systems with ePHI or not updated after changes.

Missing BAAs

High

Business associate agreements not in place with all vendors handling ePHI.

Weak Access Controls

High

Unique user IDs, automatic logoff, or encryption not implemented where required.

No Audit Log Review

Medium

Audit logs collected but never reviewed for suspicious activity.

Common Questions

Is a HIPAA assessment the same as an audit?

No—HHS OCR conducts official HIPAA audits and investigations. Our assessment is a proactive evaluation to identify gaps before you face an OCR inquiry. There's no HIPAA 'certification,' but demonstrating a good-faith compliance program matters during enforcement.

What's the difference between required and addressable safeguards?

Required specifications must be implemented. Addressable specifications must be assessed—if reasonable and appropriate, implement them; if not, document why and implement an equivalent alternative. Both require action and documentation.

Ready to Strengthen Your Defenses?

Schedule a free consultation with our security experts to discuss your organization's needs.

Or call us directly at (445) 273-2873