HIPAA Security Risk Analysis
The HIPAA Security Rule requires a risk analysis. It is not optional, it is not satisfied by antivirus software, and its absence is one of the most frequently cited findings in federal enforcement actions.
What it is
A documented security risk analysis covering the administrative, physical, and technical safeguards required by the HIPAA Security Rule at 45 CFR 164.308. The analysis reviews how electronic protected health information is created, stored, accessed, and transmitted across your practice, including the systems and vendors you may not think of as clinical.
Why it is required, not optional
Three separate pressures make this a standing obligation rather than a project:
- The HIPAA Security Rule mandates a risk analysis for every covered entity.
- MIPS and Promoting Interoperability attestation require a current analysis on file.
- Office for Civil Rights enforcement actions routinely cite the absence of a current risk analysis as a contributing failure.
A practice that cannot produce a current, documented analysis is exposed on all three fronts at once.
What your practice receives
Two deliverables in plain language leadership can use without a technical translator:
- A documented risk analysis written to survive an audit or an OCR inquiry.
- A prioritized remediation roadmap that orders findings by real exposure, not by severity label.
The roadmap is sequenced so that a practice manager can begin the first item the week the report is delivered.
Who it is for
Independent physician practices, dental practices, chiropractic offices, behavioral health providers, and other covered entities that carry the same HIPAA obligations as a hospital system, without the compliance staff to meet them.
What practice managers ask first
How long does a HIPAA security risk analysis take?
Most independent practices complete the process in five to seven business days from kickoff to final report. The largest variable is how quickly the practice can provide access to systems documentation and schedule brief conversations with the people who handle patient records.
Will the analysis disrupt patient care?
No. Most of the work is document review and remote analysis. On site time is scheduled around your clinical calendar, and staff conversations are short and arranged in advance.
How often must the risk analysis be updated?
The HIPAA Security Rule requires the analysis to be accurate and current rather than performed once. Practices generally review it annually and after any material change, such as a new practice management system, a new location, a staffing change affecting records access, or a security incident.
Is compliance software enough on its own?
Software can inventory systems and generate a questionnaire, but it does not analyze how your practice actually creates, stores, accesses, and transmits electronic protected health information. Enforcement actions frequently cite risk analyses that were generated rather than performed.
What happens after the report is delivered?
You receive the documented risk analysis and a remediation roadmap ordered by priority. Fenwick walks leadership through both, and the practice can either execute the roadmap internally or engage Fenwick for follow up review once remediation is underway.
Request a confidential consultation.
Initial call is confidential. It covers scope, staff time required, and timeline.