HIPAA Readiness
for Your Practice
Unsure whether your patient-data safeguards, staff policies, and vendor agreements are ready for review? Start with Meridian Radar™ to identify readiness gaps, then use Meridian Suite and scoped support to organize the work.
The free score is a starting point, not a documented HIPAA security risk analysis or certification.
Who Must Comply with HIPAA?
Covered Entities
- Healthcare providers (hospitals, clinics, physicians)
- Health plans (insurers, HMOs, Medicare)
- Healthcare clearinghouses
Business Associates
- IT service providers and cloud vendors
- Billing and claims processing companies
- Any third party handling PHI on behalf of covered entities
The Four HIPAA Rules
HIPAA compliance involves adhering to four main rules that govern the protection and handling of protected health information (PHI).
Privacy Rule
Establishes national standards for the protection of individually identifiable health information
- Patient rights to access their health records
- Limitations on uses and disclosures of PHI
- Authorization requirements for certain disclosures
- Minimum necessary standard for information use
- Privacy notices and patient acknowledgments
- Designation of a privacy officer
Security Rule
Sets national standards for protecting electronic protected health information (ePHI)
- Administrative safeguards (policies, training, risk analysis)
- Physical safeguards (facility access, workstation security)
- Technical safeguards (access controls, encryption, audit logs)
- Organizational requirements (business associate agreements)
- Documentation and record retention
- Regular security assessments
Breach Notification Rule
Requires notification following a breach of unsecured protected health information
- Individual notification within 60 days of discovery
- Media notification for breaches affecting 500+ individuals
- HHS notification (annual for small breaches, immediate for large)
- Business associate notification to covered entities
- Documentation of breach investigations
- Risk assessment to determine notification requirements
Enforcement Rule
Contains provisions relating to compliance and investigations
- Civil monetary penalties for violations
- Criminal penalties for knowing violations
- Compliance reviews and complaint investigations
- Resolution agreements and corrective action plans
- Annual compliance audits
HIPAA Violation Penalties
Non-compliance with HIPAA can result in significant financial penalties and, in severe cases, criminal charges.
Tier 1
Lack of knowledge
$100 - $50,000 per violation
Tier 2
Reasonable cause
$1,000 - $50,000 per violation
Tier 3
Willful neglect (corrected)
$10,000 - $50,000 per violation
Tier 4
Willful neglect (not corrected)
$50,000 per violation
Annual maximum of $1.5 million per violation category. Criminal penalties may include imprisonment.
Turn Readiness Gaps into a Practice Action Plan
Begin with your practice’s existing policies, staff access, vendor agreements, and risk documentation. Meridian Suite organizes readiness signals; scoped professional services help address the gaps that need hands-on work.
HIPAA Risk Assessment
We conduct thorough risk assessments to identify vulnerabilities in your handling of protected health information.
Gap Analysis
Our experts compare your current practices against HIPAA requirements and create a prioritized remediation plan.
Policy & Procedure Development
We develop comprehensive HIPAA-compliant policies tailored to your organization's operations and workflows.
Technical Safeguards
We implement encryption, access controls, audit logging, and other technical measures to protect ePHI.
Training Programs
Our training programs educate your workforce on HIPAA requirements and their responsibilities.
Incident Response Planning
We help you develop and test breach response procedures to minimize impact and ensure compliance.
Frequently Asked Questions About HIPAA Compliance
The questions healthcare leaders and their business associates ask us most often before an OCR audit or a vendor security review.
The HIPAA Compliance Brochure
A practical guide for covered entities and business associates: what HIPAA requires, what HHS OCR investigators ask for first, and the seven-phase path we use to get audit-ready.
- All four HIPAA rules summarized in plain English
- OCR evidence checklist your team can run today
- Seven-phase readiness path with citation mapping
PDF · No commitment, no sales call required.
HIPAA Compliance Brochure
What HIPAA requires, what OCR checks, and how to get audit-ready.
Related Compliance & Security Services
Explore more ways we can help your business
Know What Your Practice Needs to Address Next
Start with the free readiness assessment, or discuss your current policies, vendor agreements, and safeguard gaps with Senticit. Do not send patient information.
See how Meridian Radar and Meridian Ledger track HIPAA readiness and evidence in the Meridian Suite products.
Compliance Gap Estimator
3 questions. Instant estimate.
Question 1 of 3