HIPAA Compliance Made Manageable for Small Healthcare Practices
You became a healthcare provider to help patients, not to become a cybersecurity expert. Vigil gives your practice the tools to meet HIPAA requirements without the confusion or the consulting bills.
Check Your HIPAA Readiness — Free Security ScanHIPAA Is Not Just for Hospitals
If your practice handles patient health information in any form, HIPAA compliance is your responsibility. That includes every practice, regardless of size.
Dental Practices
Patient records, X-ray images, insurance claims, and treatment plans all contain PHI that must be protected under HIPAA.
Therapists & Counselors
Session notes, treatment plans, and even appointment scheduling information are protected. Telehealth adds additional requirements.
Small Clinics
Urgent care centers, specialty clinics, and multi-provider practices face the same HIPAA requirements as large hospital systems.
Chiropractors & PTs
Patient intake forms, treatment records, and billing information all fall under HIPAA protection requirements.
Optometrists
Eye exam records, prescription information, and patient histories require the same HIPAA safeguards as any other medical record.
Home Health & Hospice
Mobile providers face unique challenges protecting PHI across multiple locations, devices, and care settings.
What HIPAA Actually Requires
HIPAA security requirements fall into three categories. Understanding them is the first step toward compliance.
Administrative Safeguards
- Security management processes and risk analysis
- Workforce training and access management
- Contingency planning and incident response
- Business associate agreements
- Assigned security responsibility
Physical Safeguards
- Facility access controls
- Workstation use and security policies
- Device and media controls
- Disposal procedures for PHI
- Physical access audit controls
Technical Safeguards
- Access controls and unique user IDs
- Audit controls and activity logging
- Data integrity controls
- Transmission security (encryption)
- Authentication mechanisms
How Vigil Helps Your Practice
Vigil automates the most time-consuming parts of HIPAA compliance so you can focus on patient care.
Compliance Framework Tracking
Vigil maps your security posture directly to HIPAA requirements. See exactly which safeguards you meet, which have gaps, and what specific steps to take. No more guessing where you stand.
Evidence Locker
Store your compliance documentation in one organized place. Policies, training records, risk assessments, business associate agreements, and incident logs, all ready if you ever face an audit.
Risk Register
Identify, document, and track risks to patient data. Vigil helps you prioritize risks by severity and likelihood, then provides specific remediation guidance so you address the most critical items first.
Continuous Security Scanning
Automated scanning checks your practice's email security, website configuration, and exposed services. Catch misconfigurations before they become breaches. Track your security score over time.
You Don't Need a $200K CISO to Be HIPAA Compliant
Large hospital systems hire Chief Information Security Officers at $200,000 to $400,000 per year. Small practices cannot justify that cost, and they should not have to.
Full-Time CISO
$200K - $400K
per year
Security Consultant
$150 - $300
per hour
Vigil Compliance Tier
$799
per month
Vigil gives your practice automated compliance tracking, risk assessments, and security scanning at a fraction of the cost of traditional security consulting.
Recommended for Healthcare Practices
Most healthcare practices find what they need in the Compliance tier ($799/mo), which includes HIPAA framework tracking, evidence collection, risk register management, policy generation, and continuous security scanning.
Not sure yet? Start with a free security scan to see where your practice stands. The Compliance tier is available when you are ready to build a formal HIPAA program.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does HIPAA apply to my small practice?
If you handle protected health information (PHI) in any form, HIPAA applies to you. This includes dentists, therapists, chiropractors, optometrists, small clinics, and solo practitioners. It also applies to business associates who handle PHI on behalf of healthcare providers, such as billing companies and IT service providers. Size does not exempt you from HIPAA requirements.
What happens if a small practice has a HIPAA breach?
HIPAA breach penalties range from $100 to $50,000 per violation, with annual maximums up to $1.5 million per violation category. Beyond fines, breaches require notification to affected patients, HHS, and potentially the media. The reputational damage can be even more costly than the fines themselves. The good news: most breaches are preventable with basic security controls.
What is a HIPAA Security Risk Assessment and do I need one?
A Security Risk Assessment (SRA) is required by HIPAA for all covered entities. It identifies potential risks to PHI confidentiality, integrity, and availability. Vigil automates much of this process by scanning your infrastructure, identifying gaps in your security controls, and mapping findings to HIPAA requirements. HHS specifically looks for a current SRA during audits.
How does Vigil help with HIPAA compliance specifically?
Vigil maps your security controls directly to HIPAA Administrative, Physical, and Technical safeguard requirements. It maintains a compliance dashboard showing your status against each requirement, provides an evidence locker for storing compliance documentation, generates risk assessments, and gives you specific remediation steps when gaps are identified.
Can Vigil replace our HIPAA compliance officer?
Vigil is a tool that supports your compliance program, not a replacement for human oversight. You still need a designated Privacy Officer and Security Officer (which can be the same person at a small practice). Vigil makes their job dramatically easier by automating compliance tracking, risk assessments, and evidence collection so they can focus on policy decisions rather than paperwork.
Check Your HIPAA Readiness
A free security scan takes under 60 seconds and shows you exactly where your practice may have gaps in its security posture. No credit card required.
Free Security Scan