HIPAA was established to better protect the health information of medical patients, and to control when PHI can be shared and with whom. This includes routine checkup information, data collected on an illness or condition, scans, x-rays, images, and even personal contact information. Information and data like this are what many think of when they discuss HIPAA, but even seasoned members of the medical field forget about the HIPAA covers how information is shared. That includes text messages and emails within the office, between doctor and patient, and even messages sent between private and work devices.

There’s no denying the practicality of storing and sharing data and information through a computer network or through an email exchange. But with that practicality comes added opportunities for that data to be lost, inappropriately shared, or even stolen. Many smaller health clinics falsely assume that they are immune from HIPAA violations because of their minimal patient count, but that just isn’t true. The reality is that clinics and businesses of all sizes can be assigned a HIPAA violation by the Office for Civil Rights.

Should your healthcare office be hit with a HIPAA violation, you could face fines of up to $50,000 per violation, and even be assigned jail time. While this can affect the financial viability of your healthcare facility, it can also affect the reputation of it. HIPAA violators are released on the internet, letting potential patients know that some health clinics are more trustworthy than others.