HIPAA Compliance Checklist for Fort Worth Healthcare Providers

HIPAA Compliance Checklist for Fort Worth Healthcare Providers

If you run a healthcare practice in Fort Worth, HIPAA compliance isn't optional — and the penalties for violations are steep. Fines range from $100 to $50,000 per violation, with annual maximums reaching $1.5 million per violation category.

But HIPAA doesn't have to be overwhelming. This checklist breaks down the key requirements into actionable items that any Fort Worth clinic, practice, or healthcare organization can follow.

Administrative Safeguards

These are the policies and procedures that govern how your organization handles protected health information (PHI):

• Designate a Security Officer — Someone in your organization must be officially responsible for HIPAA security. This can be an internal role or outsourced to your IT provider.
• Conduct a Risk Assessment — Required annually. Document all systems that store, process, or transmit PHI. Identify threats and vulnerabilities. Prioritize remediation.
• Develop Written Policies — You need documented policies for access control, data backup, incident response, workforce training, and business associate management.
• Train Your Workforce — Every employee who touches PHI needs annual HIPAA training. Document attendance and test comprehension.
• Manage Business Associates — Every vendor that handles PHI needs a signed Business Associate Agreement (BAA). Track all BAAs and review them annually.
• Create an Incident Response Plan — Know what to do when (not if) a breach occurs. Document the response process, notification procedures, and remediation steps.

Physical Safeguards

These protect the physical systems and facilities that contain PHI:

• Facility Access Controls — Lock server rooms. Use badge access for areas with workstations that access PHI. Log all access.
• Workstation Security — Position monitors away from public view. Enable automatic screen locks. Use privacy screens in open areas.
• Device Controls — Track all devices that can access PHI — laptops, tablets, phones, USB drives. Encrypt all portable devices. Have a procedure for lost or stolen devices.
• Proper Disposal — Shred paper records. Wipe hard drives before disposal. Document all media destruction.

Technical Safeguards

These are the technology controls that protect electronic PHI (ePHI):

• Access Controls — Unique user IDs for every employee. Role-based access so people only see what they need. Emergency access procedures documented.
• Audit Controls — Log all access to ePHI. Review logs regularly. Retain logs for at least 6 years.
• Integrity Controls — Mechanisms to ensure ePHI isn't altered or destroyed improperly. This includes checksums, version control, and backup verification.
• Transmission Security — Encrypt ePHI in transit. Use TLS for email. Use VPN for remote access. Never send PHI over unencrypted channels.
• Encryption at Rest — Encrypt all stored ePHI. Full disk encryption on all workstations and servers. Encrypted backups.
• Multi-Factor Authentication — MFA on all systems that access ePHI. This single control prevents the majority of unauthorized access.

Common HIPAA Violations We See in Fort Worth

After working with healthcare practices across Fort Worth, these are the most common violations we encounter:

• No current risk assessment — This is the #1 finding in HIPAA audits. If you haven't done one in the last 12 months, you're not compliant.
• Unencrypted laptops — A lost unencrypted laptop containing PHI is an automatic breach notification. Full disk encryption eliminates this risk entirely.
• Shared passwords — Every user needs their own credentials. Sharing logins makes audit trails meaningless and violates HIPAA access control requirements.
• No BAAs with cloud vendors — Using Dropbox, Google Drive, or other cloud services for PHI without a signed BAA is a violation. Even Microsoft 365 requires a BAA.
• Outdated systems — Running Windows that no longer receives security updates while storing PHI is a technical safeguard violation.
• No workforce training — If your staff hasn't completed HIPAA training this year, that's a documented violation waiting to happen.

Beyond HIPAA — HITRUST Certification

While HIPAA provides the legal framework, HITRUST CSF provides the certification that proves you've implemented it properly. More healthcare organizations, payers, and partners are requiring HITRUST certification.

IT Integrations is one of the few Fort Worth MSPs with HITRUST expertise. If your organization needs to achieve or maintain HITRUST certification, we can guide you through the entire process — from gap analysis to assessor coordination.

Getting Compliant

HIPAA compliance is a continuous process, not a one-time project. If you're a Fort Worth healthcare provider who needs help with compliance, contact IT Integrations for a free assessment. We'll evaluate your current posture, identify gaps, and build a remediation plan with clear timelines.

Call (817) 808-1816 or fill out our contact form to get started.