HIPAA compliance requires adherence to multiple rules including the Privacy Rule (governing use and disclosure of Protected Health Information), the Security Rule (establishing administrative, physical, and technical safeguards for electronic PHI), the Breach Notification Rule (requiring notification of unauthorized disclosures), and the Enforcement Rule (establishing investigation and penalty procedures). Petronella Technology Group helps healthcare organizations in Raleigh, Durham, and the Research Triangle implement all required components through risk assessments, policy development, technical controls, and workforce training programs.

The Department of Health and Human Services recommends conducting a HIPAA risk assessment at least annually and whenever significant changes occur in your organization, such as new technology implementations, changes in business processes, or security incidents. Regular risk assessments help identify new vulnerabilities, evaluate the effectiveness of existing controls, and demonstrate ongoing compliance efforts to auditors. PTG provides comprehensive HIPAA risk assessments that evaluate your administrative, physical, and technical safeguards against current regulatory requirements.

HIPAA penalties are structured in tiers based on the level of culpability. Tier 1 (lack of knowledge) ranges from one hundred to fifty thousand dollars per violation. Tier 2 (reasonable cause) ranges from one thousand to fifty thousand dollars per violation. Tier 3 (willful neglect, corrected) ranges from ten thousand to fifty thousand dollars per violation. Tier 4 (willful neglect, not corrected) carries a minimum of fifty thousand dollars per violation. Annual maximums can reach one and a half million dollars per violation category. Criminal penalties can include imprisonment.

Yes. PTG offers HIPAA security awareness training programs tailored to healthcare organizations and their business associates. Training covers proper handling of Protected Health Information, recognizing phishing and social engineering attacks, password security, mobile device policies, incident reporting procedures, and the specific HIPAA requirements relevant to each employee's role. Regular training is a required component of HIPAA compliance and helps reduce the risk of human-error-related breaches, which remain the leading cause of healthcare data incidents.