Compliance / HIPAA Risk Analysis
HIPAA Risk Assessment & Security Risk Analysis
A documented Security Risk Analysis, often called a HIPAA risk assessment, is the foundation of HIPAA compliance, and it is the single most common failure OCR cites when it investigates a practice. We run a formal risk analysis that meets OCR's expectations, identifies your real gaps, and gives you a prioritized plan that doubles as your compliance record. Remote-first, nationwide.
What a HIPAA risk analysis actually is
It is not a checklist, and it is not the same as risk management. It is the assessment everything else is built on.
The HIPAA Security Rule requires every covered entity and business associate to conduct "an accurate and thorough assessment of the potential risks and vulnerabilities to the confidentiality, integrity, and availability" of the electronic protected health information it holds. In plain terms: you have to know where your ePHI lives, what could go wrong, and how likely and how damaging each scenario is, before you can claim you are protecting it.
Two things trip practices up. First, a risk analysis is not a generic checklist or a one-page attestation; it is a documented, practice-specific evaluation. Second, the analysis is separate from risk management: the analysis finds and rates the risks, and risk management is the work of reducing them. OCR expects both, and it expects the analysis to be refreshed when your environment changes and at least once a year.
Why OCR keeps citing practices for this
The risk analysis is the most common deficiency in HIPAA enforcement, and the proposed Security Rule update makes it stricter.
Missing or inadequate analyses
Across OCR settlements, the recurring theme is a practice that either never performed a real risk analysis or did a superficial one that ignored whole systems. After a breach, that gap turns a bad day into a penalty.
The rules are tightening
The proposed Security Rule overhaul would remove the "addressable" loophole and make controls like encryption and MFA mandatory for everyone. A current, thorough risk analysis is how you stay ahead of that. See our 2026 action plan.
What our risk analysis covers
A complete, OCR-aligned analysis, delivered as documentation you can actually use.
ePHI inventory & data flow
We map every place ePHI is created, received, stored, or transmitted, from your EHR to email, devices, cloud apps, and backups.
Threat & vulnerability mapping
We identify the realistic threats to each asset, from ransomware and phishing to lost devices and insider error, and the vulnerabilities that enable them.
Safeguard evaluation
We assess your administrative, physical, and technical safeguards against the Security Rule, and flag where you are exposed today.
Likelihood & impact scoring
Each risk is rated so you can see what is urgent versus what can wait, instead of a flat list with no priorities.
Prioritized remediation roadmap
A clear, sequenced plan to close the highest risks first, with the work scoped so you know what it takes. This is your risk-management starting point.
Audit-ready documentation
The full analysis is delivered as documentation you can hand to an auditor, an insurer, or a partner who asks for proof.
How it works
A focused engagement that fits around your clinical schedule.
HIPAA risk analysis: questions, answered
How often do we need a HIPAA risk analysis?
At minimum once a year, and again whenever something material changes, such as a new EHR, a move, a merger, or a significant security incident. An analysis that is more than 12 months old is treated as out of date.
What is the difference between a risk analysis and a risk assessment?
The terms are often used interchangeably. What matters to OCR is that the work is thorough and documented: you identify where ePHI lives, the threats and vulnerabilities, rate the risk, and then manage it down. We deliver both the analysis and the remediation plan.
Do small and solo practices really need one?
Yes. The Security Rule applies to every covered entity regardless of size, and there are no small-practice exemptions. In fact small practices are now the fastest-growing ransomware target, which makes the analysis more important, not less.
Isn't the free government SRA Tool enough?
The HHS SRA Tool is a helpful starting point, but on its own it often produces an incomplete picture, especially around cloud apps, backups, and business associates. We use a structured methodology and validate findings against your actual environment.
What does a risk analysis cost?
It depends on the size of your practice and the number of systems in scope. Book a free assessment and we will scope it and give you a flat quote. See our pricing model for how we work.
Know exactly where you stand.
A HIPAA Security Risk Analysis that satisfies OCR, finds your real gaps, and gives you a clear plan to close them. Start with a free assessment.
Book a Free AssessmentRemote-first · nationwide · audit-ready documentation
How we work with you
Not a ticket queue. You get real people who own your account.
Your own pod (larger clients)
A dedicated full-time team that knows your whole environment, not a rotating queue.
A named account manager
Everyone else gets one Technical Account Manager as a direct point of contact who owns your account.
Remote-first response
Most support, monitoring, and projects are handled remotely, so you are not waiting on a truck roll.
Onsite when it matters
Our own team comes to you for hands-on work and projects as needed, billed per project.