HIPAA Readiness: The 5 Most Important Steps to Take Today

The 5 Most Important Steps to Take for HIPAA Readiness 2025.

HIPAA readiness… with the most significant HIPAA updates in over a decade rolling out across 2024 and 2025, healthcare organizations must act swiftly and strategically to ensure compliance, reduce risk, and uphold patient trust. From modernizing cybersecurity practices to updating privacy policies around sensitive health data, these changes are not just regulatory; they are essential for survival in today’s threat-rich environment.

Here are the top five priority areas every healthcare provider, health plan, and business associate should focus on right now for HIPAA readiness.:

1 STRENGTHEN TECHNICAL SAFEGUARDS (Now Required)

The proposed updates to the HIPAA Security Rule mark a pivotal shift. What was once considered “addressable” is now required. This includes stronger protections to combat the rise in ransomware, phishing, and insider threats.

What to do now:

• Encrypt all electronic protected health information (ePHI), both at rest and in transit
• Implement multifactor authentication (MFA) across all access points
• Conduct regular vulnerability scans and annual penetration tests
• Maintain a complete inventory of all technology assets and connected endpoints
• Deploy network segmentation to isolate critical systems

Why it matters: Failing to implement these safeguards could result in massive fines and significant operational risk due to data breaches.

2 REBUILD YOUR RISK MANAGEMENT FRAMEWORK

OCR (Office for Civil Rights, a division of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services) is raising the bar for what qualifies as a compliant risk analysis. A surface-level or checklist approach is no longer acceptable.

What to do now:

• Perform a comprehensive annual risk assessment
• Maintain a detailed, real-time asset inventory
• Create and test an incident response and disaster recovery plan, including a 72-hour recovery target
• Conduct business associate risk evaluations and update all related agreements

Why it matters: Regulators are actively enforcing these standards, and organizations without documented, actionable plans are facing significant penalties.

3 UPDATE PRIVACY POLICIES FOR REPRODUCTIVE AND BEHAVIORAL HEALTH

Recent changes to the HIPAA Privacy Rule regarding reproductive health and substance use disorder (SUD) records require immediate attention to both documentation and operations.

What to do now:

• Update your Notice of Privacy Practices to reflect the new rules (required by February 16, 2026)
• Train staff on proper handling and disclosure restrictions for reproductive health data
• Align internal processes and documentation with the revised 42 CFR Part 2 requirements for SUD data

Why it matters: These changes are intended to protect sensitive health information. Compliance failures may result in both legal challenges and reputational damage.

4 MODERNIZE BREACH AND PATIENT ACCESS PROTOCOLS

New compliance timelines require faster breach notification and more efficient patient access to records.

What to do now:

• Update internal breach notification workflows to meet the new 30-day requirement
• Implement tools and processes that enable PHI delivery within 15 days of a patient request
• Allow patients to designate third-party recipients and use personal devices for access
• Keep detailed logs of access and disclosure decisions for accountability

Why it matters: HIPAA enforcement is now prioritizing patient rights. Organizations that delay or deny access requests have already been penalized.

5 RETRAIN STAFF AND REFRESH BUSINESS ASSOCIATE AGREEMENTS

Even the best policies and technologies fall short without properly trained people and aligned vendors.

What to do now:

• Update all HIPAA workforce training to reflect the latest technical and privacy rule changes.
• Ensure staff understand their responsibilities regarding sensitive health data.
• Review and update all Business Associate Agreements to reflect current security and reporting expectations.
• Train staff and business associates on verification requirements for law enforcement or legal data requests.

Why it matters: HIPAA holds organizations accountable not only for their own actions but also for the conduct of their partners and vendors.

Start with a Security Evaluation to Know Where You Stand

Before you dive into policy overhauls and infrastructure upgrades, take a step back and assess where your organization stands today. A Security Evaluation offers a comprehensive yet approachable review of your current cybersecurity program. It is designed to give you a clear snapshot of your strengths, weaknesses, and opportunities for improvement.

What is included in a Security Evaluation:

• Review of select cybersecurity policies (such as password and acceptable use policies)
• Evaluation of endpoint protection tools and firewall configuration
• Review of multifactor authentication (MFA) usage and implementation
• Evaluation of employee cybersecurity awareness and training practices
• Analysis of backup procedures and basic incident response readiness
• Scoring and benchmarking against industry standards
• Executive summary report with prioritized recommendations and next steps

What is not included:

• Penetration testing or vulnerability scanning
• Full audits of endpoints, cloud services, or technical configurations
• Compliance mapping for frameworks like HIPAA, CMMC, or PCI
• Risk quantification or business impact analysis
• Review of vendor contracts or third-party risk assessments

Why it matters: A Security Evaluation is quick, impactful, and easy to understand. It helps uncover hidden risks and gives you a prioritized roadmap for improvement without overwhelming your team.

NOW IS THE TIME

The new HIPAA regulations are not just another compliance checkbox. They reflect the new reality of digital healthcare and cybersecurity threats. By focusing on these five priority areas and starting with a focused Security Evaluation, healthcare organizations can reduce risk, demonstrate accountability, and maintain the trust of their patients and prepare for HIPAA readiness.

Now is the time to assess, update, and act. Compliance delays are not only risky, but they are also costly.

Need help getting started? Download our HIPAA Compliance checklist, and contact Braver Technology to set up a Security Evaluations tailored to healthcare organizations. These steps along with HIPAA-aligned consulting and support will get you on track today!

 

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