Insights · HIPAA security
What HIPAA actually asks of a small practice’s IT
October 5, 2026 · NACIT engineering team
HIPAA can feel like a wall of legal text. For a small practice’s IT, the Security Rule comes down to a few plain questions: do you know where patient data lives, who can reach it, and can you prove you protect it?
Know your risks
HIPAA expects a risk assessment: a written look at where patient information is stored and sent, what could go wrong, and what you are doing about it. Review it when things change.
Control who gets in
- Every person has their own login — no shared accounts
- Two-step sign-in for email and remote access
- Access removed the day someone leaves
Protect the data itself
- Encryption on laptops, phones and backups
- Security updates applied on a schedule
- Protection on every computer, with someone watching the alerts
Be able to recover
Backups you have tested, and a written plan for keeping the practice running if systems go down.
Get it in writing
Any vendor that handles patient data on your behalf — including your IT provider — should sign a Business Associate Agreement. Keep your policies and records of training in one place.
This article is general information, not legal advice. Your compliance advisor can confirm what applies to your practice. We can put the technical safeguards in place and document them.