HIPAA Compliance Insights

HIPAA Exceptions

When Does HIPAA Not Apply? Surprising Exceptions

A personal trainer asks a client about her recent knee surgery. A school nurse hands a student's immunization record to a teacher. A

Carl B. Johnson · Apr 16, 2026

HIPPA Compliance Certification

HIPPA Compliance Certification: What You Actually Need

The Typo That 14,000 People Search for Every Month Let's get the elephant out of the room. You searched for HIPPA compliance

Carl B. Johnson · Apr 16, 2026

PHI

What PHI Is Under HIPAA — And What It Isn't

A Receptionist, a Printer, and a $1.5 Million Penalty In 2018, a medical center employee left a stack of patient lab results sitting on

Carl B. Johnson · Apr 15, 2026

PHI Breach Reporting

When Must PHI-Related Breaches Be Reported? Deadlines

A Hospital Waited 101 Days. It Cost Them $4.8 Million. In 2019, Presence Health agreed to a $475,000 settlement with the Office for

Carl B. Johnson · Apr 15, 2026

HIPAA Certification

HIPAA Certification: Why "Free" Isn't What You Think

That Google Search Could Cost You More Than You Saved I watched a 14-person cardiology practice in Texas get hit with a $160,000 settlement

Carl B. Johnson · Apr 15, 2026

Sunshine Act

What Is the Sunshine Act? A HIPAA Guide for 2026

A surgeon in Ohio walks into her office one morning and discovers her name on a public database — listed alongside $47,000 in payments from

Carl B. Johnson · Apr 14, 2026

HIPAA Authorization

What Is a HIPAA Authorization? A Practical Guide

The Form That Stops Lawsuits — or Starts Them A surgeon's office in Texas faxed a patient's psychiatric records to an employer.

Carl B. Johnson · Apr 14, 2026

HIPAA Compliance Certificate

HIPAA Compliance Certificate: What It Really Means

Last year, I watched a small behavioral health clinic in Ohio hand OCR investigators a framed HIPAA compliance certificate during an audit — as if it

Carl B. Johnson · Apr 13, 2026

HIPAA Forms

What Is a HIPAA Form? The Real Answer Beyond the Jargon

Last month, a medical office manager in Ohio called me in a panic. She'd just been told by a patient's attorney

Carl B. Johnson · Apr 13, 2026

HIPAA Telehealth

HIPAA Compliance Requirements for Telehealth in 2026

The Zoom Call That Cost a Psychiatrist Everything A solo psychiatrist in New England conducted therapy sessions over a consumer-grade video app for two years.

Carl B. Johnson · Apr 12, 2026

HIPAA Notice of Privacy Practices

HIPAA Notice of Privacy Practices: What You Must Get Right

That Binder Gathering Dust at Your Front Desk Could Cost You Six Figures I walked into a dermatology practice last spring and asked to see

Carl B. Johnson · Apr 12, 2026

HIPAA Refresher Training

HIPAA Refresher Training: Why Annual Reviews Save Millions

A hospital in New York paid $4.8 million to settle HIPAA violations after a former employee — who had been terminated — still had active access

Carl B. Johnson · Apr 11, 2026