Common HIPAA Violations
Healthcare organizations handle some of the most sensitive information a business can possess. Patient records can contain medical histories, diagnoses, treatment information, contact information, insurance details, billing information, and other protected health information (PHI).
HIPAA establishes requirements designed to protect the privacy and security of this information. However, maintaining compliance involves much more than keeping patient records confidential. Healthcare organizations need to consider who can access information, how it is stored and transmitted, how employees are trained, how risks are evaluated, and what happens when an incident occurs.
Understanding common HIPAA violations can help healthcare organizations identify weaknesses before they result in unauthorized access, a data breach, or regulatory action.
Here are 10 HIPAA compliance issues healthcare organizations should know about.
1. Failing to Conduct an Adequate HIPAA Risk Analysis
One of the most important responsibilities under the HIPAA Security Rule is identifying potential risks and vulnerabilities to electronic protected health information (ePHI).
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) describes risk analysis as foundational to implementing appropriate safeguards under the Security Rule.
Organizations are expected to perform an accurate and thorough assessment of potential risks and vulnerabilities affecting the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of ePHI.
A risk analysis may uncover issues such as:
- Outdated or unsupported technology
- Improperly configured systems
- Weak access controls
- Unsecured devices
- Inadequate backup procedures
- Unpatched vulnerabilities
- Inappropriate permissions
- Third-party risks
- Insufficient security policies
A risk analysis should not simply be completed and forgotten. Technology, employees, vendors, applications, and cyber threats change over time, which can introduce new risks into the environment.
2. Unauthorized Access to Patient Information
Employees should not have unrestricted access to patient information simply because they work for a healthcare organization.
HIPAA’s Security Rule requires policies and procedures for authorizing access to ePHI appropriately based on the user’s role, as well as technical access controls designed to allow only authorized individuals to access ePHI.
Problems can arise when organizations:
- Give employees more access than their roles require
- Use shared accounts
- Fail to regularly review permissions
- Leave old accounts active
- Allow unauthorized employees to view patient information
- Fail to properly restrict access to sensitive systems
Access should be based on what an employee needs to perform their job, not simply what systems are available.
For healthcare organizations, properly managing user permissions across electronic medical records, Microsoft 365, cloud applications, shared files, and other systems is an important part of protecting patient information.
3. Improperly Using or Disclosing Protected Health Information
HIPAA restricts how protected health information can be used and disclosed. Improper disclosures can happen intentionally, but they can also result from everyday mistakes.
Examples may include:
- Sending patient information to the wrong recipient
- Discussing patient information with an unauthorized person
- Sharing more information than necessary
- Improperly sharing files containing PHI
- Posting patient information publicly
- Giving an unauthorized third party access to PHI
Organizations should have clear procedures governing how employees access, use, transmit, and share patient information.
Technology can help support these policies through appropriate permissions, secure file sharing, access controls, and monitoring, but employees also need to understand their responsibilities.
4. Failing to Properly Manage Employee Access
Employee access should change as an employee’s role changes, and should be removed promptly when someone leaves the organization.
A former employee who retains access to email, cloud storage, an electronic medical record system, or another application containing patient information can create a serious security and compliance risk.
A proper offboarding process should account for access to systems such as:
- Microsoft 365
- Electronic medical records
- Cloud applications
- Shared folders
- Remote access tools
- VPNs
- Business applications
- Physical devices
Organizations should also consider whether passwords, shared credentials, access codes, or other authentication methods need to be changed.
The same principle applies when an employee changes roles internally. Access that was appropriate for a previous position may no longer be necessary.
5. Failing to Properly Secure Electronic Patient Information
Healthcare organizations increasingly store and access patient information electronically, making technology security an important component of HIPAA compliance.
The HIPAA Security Rule establishes administrative, physical, and technical safeguards for protecting ePHI. Technical requirements include access controls, audit controls, authentication, integrity protections, and transmission security.
Security weaknesses can involve:
- Poor account security
- Inadequate access controls
- Unsecured transmission of ePHI
- Improperly configured cloud environments
- Lack of appropriate monitoring
- Unsupported systems
- Unpatched vulnerabilities
- Inadequately protected endpoints
Technology alone cannot make an organization HIPAA compliant, but properly configured and managed technology plays an important role in protecting ePHI.
6. Lost or Stolen Devices Containing Patient Information
Laptops, smartphones, tablets, external drives, and other portable devices can contain or provide access to sensitive healthcare information. If one of those devices is lost or stolen, patient information may potentially be exposed.
Healthcare organizations should consider safeguards such as:
- Device encryption
- Strong authentication
- Device access controls
- Endpoint security
- Mobile device management
- Remote device management
- Policies governing where patient information can be stored
Employees should also know what to do if a business device containing or providing access to patient information is lost or stolen.
The goal isn’t simply protecting the physical device. It’s protecting the sensitive information the device can access.
7. Inadequate Employee Training
Some HIPAA problems begin with technology. Others begin with people.
An employee may accidentally send information to the wrong person, fall for a phishing email, mishandle patient information, use an insecure password, or fail to recognize suspicious activity.
Security awareness training can help employees understand threats such as:
- Phishing
- Social engineering
- Credential theft
- Suspicious links and attachments
- Password security
- Safe handling of sensitive information
- Proper reporting of suspected security incidents
Training should also be relevant to how employees actually work. For example, staff members who regularly communicate with patients, handle billing information, access medical records, or work remotely may encounter different risks.
8. Failing to Have Appropriate Business Associate Agreements
Healthcare organizations often rely on outside companies that may create, receive, maintain, or transmit PHI while providing a service.
Depending on the relationship, these organizations may qualify as business associates under HIPAA.
The HIPAA rules require written contracts or other arrangements, commonly called Business Associate Agreements (BAAs) in applicable business-associate relationships. The agreements establish required assurances regarding how PHI will be protected and address responsibilities such as Security Rule compliance and incident reporting.
Potential business associates can include certain:
- IT providers
- Cloud service providers
- Billing companies
- Software vendors
- Consultants
- Data storage providers
- Other organizations handling PHI on behalf of a covered entity
Healthcare organizations should understand which vendors interact with PHI and determine whether appropriate agreements and safeguards are in place.
9. Inadequate Backup & Disaster Recovery Planning
Protecting patient information isn’t only about preventing unauthorized access. Healthcare organizations also need to consider the availability of ePHI.
A ransomware attack, hardware failure, accidental deletion, natural disaster, or other incident could make important healthcare data unavailable.
HIPAA’s Security Rule includes contingency-planning requirements, including a data backup plan, disaster recovery plan, and emergency-mode operation planning.
Healthcare organizations should consider:
- What data needs to be backed up
- How frequently backups occur
- Where backup copies are stored
- How backups are protected
- How quickly systems and data can be restored
- Whether recovery procedures are tested
- How operations would continue during an outage
Having a backup is only part of the equation. Organizations should also understand whether they can successfully recover the information when it is needed.
10. Failing to Properly Respond to a Data Breach
Protecting patient information isn’t only about preventing unauthorized access. Healthcare organizations also need to consider the availability of ePHI.
A ransomware attack, hardware failure, accidental deletion, natural disaster, or other incident could make important healthcare data unavailable.
HIPAA’s Security Rule includes contingency-planning requirements, including a data backup plan, disaster recovery plan, and emergency-mode operation planning.
Healthcare organizations should consider:
- What data needs to be backed up
- How frequently backups occur
- Where backup copies are stored
- How backups are protected
- How quickly systems and data can be restored
- Whether recovery procedures are tested
- How operations would continue during an outage
Having a backup is only part of the equation. Organizations should also understand whether they can successfully recover the information when it is needed.
HIPAA violations can have consequences beyond the immediate exposure of patient information.
Depending on the circumstances, an organization could face:
- HHS Office for Civil Rights investigations
- Corrective action requirements
- Financial settlements or civil monetary penalties
- Required changes to policies and security practices
- Breach notification obligations
- Operational disruption
- Reputational damage
- Loss of patient trust
HIPAA enforcement remains active. In 2026, for example, HHS OCR continued announcing enforcement actions involving risk-analysis failures and ransomware-related Security Rule investigations.
The goal shouldn’t simply be avoiding a penalty. Strong privacy, security, and compliance practices help healthcare organizations reduce the likelihood that sensitive patient information will be exposed in the first place.
How Can Healthcare Organizations Reduce the Risk of HIPAA Violations?
HIPAA compliance isn’t something that should only receive attention before an audit or after a security incident.
Healthcare organizations should regularly evaluate how patient information moves throughout their environment and whether appropriate safeguards remain in place.
That can include reviewing:
- Risk assessments
- Employee access
- Account permissions
- Cybersecurity controls
- Employee training
- Backup and recovery procedures
- Vendor relationships
- Business Associate Agreements
- Policies and procedures
- Incident response plans
- Devices and applications that access ePHI
Because technology environments change, these safeguards should be reviewed as organizations add employees, applications, devices, vendors, and new ways of accessing patient information.
Technology's Role in HIPAA Compliance
HIPAA compliance involves much more than IT, but technology affects many of the ways healthcare organizations create, access, store, transmit, and protect patient information.
Properly managed technology can help healthcare organizations implement stronger access controls, protect endpoints, monitor systems, secure email, manage employee accounts, maintain backups, and identify security risks.
An experienced IT provider can help support the technical side of an organization’s compliance efforts, but no individual product or IT service automatically makes a healthcare organization HIPAA compliant.
Build a Stronger Technology Foundation for Your Healthcare Organization
Avoiding common HIPAA violations requires an ongoing approach to protecting patient information.
Regular risk assessments, appropriate access controls, employee training, secure technology, reliable backups, vendor management, and documented procedures can all contribute to a stronger compliance program.
CATS Technology helps healthcare organizations manage and protect the technology they rely on every day. From managed IT and cybersecurity to risk assessments, email security, Microsoft 365, and backup and disaster recovery, our team can help organizations implement and manage technology safeguards that support their broader HIPAA compliance efforts.
