Is Your Practice Ready
for the New HIPAA Rules?
The biggest HIPAA overhaul in years is on the table. Under the proposed Security Rule changes, several things become required rather than "addressable": an extra login step so a stolen password alone can't get in, encryption, annual penetration testing, and 72-hour data restoration. If the rule lands the way it is written, the items you could once document and skip become things you have to actually do.
Federal HIPAA penalties run up to about $73,000 per violation and reach roughly $2.2 million a year for the most serious violations (HHS, 2025), and skipping your risk assessment is one of the most common findings. Our free compliance check shows you exactly where your practice stands before the proposed rule changes take effect.
Free HIPAA compliance check
Why This Matters for Small Practices
Rising
ransomware attacks aimed at healthcare practices
$2.2M
top-tier annual HHS penalty for HIPAA violations (2025)
Costliest
healthcare has the most expensive data breaches of any industry (IBM, 2024)
72hrs
proposed requirement to restore patient data after an incident
Proposed 2026 Rule Changes
What the Proposed Rule Would Require
Each of these is "addressable" today, meaning you can document why you skipped it. The proposed Security Rule would close that loophole and make them required. Here is what your practice would need to have in place.
An Extra Login Step
A second login check, beyond the password, so a stolen password alone can't get in. Expected for nearly everyone who accesses patient data, onsite and remote, with only narrow exceptions.
Encryption Everywhere
Patient data must be encrypted whether it is stored or being sent. Every workstation, every email, every backup.
Annual Penetration Testing
A qualified professional must test your defenses every year. Vulnerability scans every 6 months.
72-Hour Data Restoration
If ransomware hits, you must be able to restore patient data within 72 hours. Can your practice do that today?
Annual Compliance Audits
Documented, comprehensive audits every 12 months. Not "when you get around to it." Every year.
Updated Business Associate Agreements
Every vendor who touches your data needs an updated BAA with annual verification. Including your IT company.
Who Needs This
Dental Offices
Solo and group practices. If you use digital X-rays, a patient records system (EHR), or email patient info, HIPAA applies to you.
Urgent Care Centers
Walk-in clinics handling patient records, insurance claims, and prescriptions.
Therapy & Counseling
Mental health records are among the most sensitive. A breach here has serious consequences for patients.
Chiropractic & Specialty
Any practice that stores, transmits, or creates electronic protected health information.
When we handle patient data, we sign a Business Associate Agreement first. We help healthcare practices meet HIPAA requirements. We build and manage HIPAA-aligned IT for healthcare practices, and we put it in writing instead of treating compliance as a checkbox.
Efrain Gutierrez, Owner of GTZ Integrations
What the Assessment Covers
Security risk assessment review (the #1 thing federal HIPAA auditors (OCR) look for)
Extra login verification status across all systems that touch patient data
Encryption check on workstations, email, and backups
Business Associate Agreement review with your vendors
Backup and disaster recovery verification (can you restore in 72 hours?)
Written report with findings and recommendations
Colorado Practices
It's Stricter Here Than You Think
Colorado requires breach notification within 30 days, which is more aggressive than federal HIPAA. If patient data gets exposed, the clock starts ticking fast. GTZ Integrations is based right here in Southern Colorado and understands both the federal requirements and the state-specific rules your practice needs to follow.
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We'll answer your HIPAA questions honestly. If you don't need us, we'll tell you.
(719) 203-7752