Healthcare provider

Your reading path

Step 1 of 6 — check off articles as you finish (saved in this browser).

1. 1

   What is HIPAA and why does it apply to my office?

   HIPAA is a federal law protecting patient health information. Here's what it means for your practice in plain English.

   DoneRead →
2. 2

   What patient information do we need to protect?

   Understand what counts as protected health information in a real office — not just charts, but conversations, schedules, and more.

   DoneRead →
3. 3

   What are we actually allowed to say about patients?

   Treatment talk among care teams is different from gossip at the front desk. Here's how to stay on the right side of patient privacy.

   DoneRead →
4. 4

   HIPAA and patient care — talking to other providers

   Coordinating care is allowed; oversharing in public is not. Here's the balance.

   DoneRead →
5. 5

   HIPAA and mental health — extra sensitivity

   Mental health information is still PHI, and some parts get additional protections.

   DoneRead →
6. 6

   What should I do if I think something went wrong?

   Wrong fax, strange email, lost phone, or coworker snooping — here's how to respond without making it worse.

   DoneRead →

Your checklist

Items most relevant to your role. Progress syncs with the full checklist.

• All staff completed HIPAA training within the last year

  What training is required? →

• Computers are password protected and lock automatically after a few minutes

  Security basics →

• Staff only access patient records they need for their specific job

  What is minimum necessary? →

• Mobile phones and tablets used for patient care are encrypted and PIN-protected

  Mobile device security →

• Patient conversations at the front desk cannot be overheard by others in the waiting room

  Privacy at the front desk →

Your scenarios