Free HIPAA Compliance Risk Check for Covered Entities

Posted by Steve Alder

HIPAA compliance is mandatory for organizations that qualify as HIPAA covered entities. But how compliant is your organization really?

Free Online HIPAA Compliance AssessmentWith our 2-minute free HIPAA Compliance Risk Check, you can quickly evaluate the compliance status of your organization and receive a report with actionable insights to immediately improve compliance with HIPAA.

Please note that in order for the report to accurately reflect your organization’s compliance status, you need to be aware of your organization’s current compliance activities when you take our free HIPAA risk check.

Please also note that this check is designed to be used by organizations that are HIPAA covered entities. It is not suitable for solo practitioners or HIPAA Business Associates.

Why Take The HIPAA Compliance Risk Check?

Being aware of your compliance obligations and those of your business partners can be vital because, in the event of a HIPAA violation, ignorance of the HIPAA requirements is not an acceptable defense against enforcement action. This free assessment is:

  • Quick and Convenient: In just two or three minutes, answer a series of targeted questions designed to gauge your organization’s compliance with the latest HIPAA regulations.
  • Instant Results: Receive a compliance score immediately after completing the assessment, giving you a quick snapshot of where your organization stands.
  • 100% Private: Your name and your organization name do not appear on the report and it is only sent to the email address you designate and not copied or stored on any server.

What Does Your Risk Report Include?

  • Your HIPAA Compliance Risk Score: Understand how well your organization adheres to HIPAA standards.
  • Analysis of Compliance Risk Score: Identify specific areas where your organization may be falling short.
  • Tailored Recommendations: Get expert advice on what steps to take to improve your compliance score.

How It Works

  1. Start the Risk Check: Click on this link to get started.
  2. Assessment Steps: You will be taken through a series of multiple choice questions to answer covering a range of HIPAA compliance requirements.
  3. Choose One Answer: Select the answer which best reflects the current situation within the organization.
  4. Receive Your Score: After completing the assessment, you’ll immediately see your HIPAA compliance risk score on screen.
  5. Take Action: Use the insights provided in your report to take actionable steps towards improving your client score.

Your name and your organization name do not appear on the report and you decide what you wish to do with the information. Your email address and your answers to the risk check are not copied or stored on any server, so you can be sure they will remain 100% confidential.

The post Free HIPAA Compliance Risk Check for Covered Entities appeared first on The HIPAA Journal.

DoL OIG to Audit OSHA to Assess Agency’s Efforts to Prevent Workplace Violence

Posted by Steve Alder

The Department of Labor Office of Inspector General will be conducting a federal audit to determine how well the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) is addressing the growing problem of workplace violence.

Workplace violence is a significant occupational safety concern, especially in the healthcare industry, where healthcare employees are regularly subjected to physical assaults, verbal threats, and other attacks. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, healthcare workers are five times as likely to suffer nonfatal workplace injuries as professionals in other sectors, and across all sectors, acts of violence and related injuries are the third leading cause of fatal occupational injuries in the United States.

Data from 2022 shows that out of the 5,486 fatal injuries that occurred in the workplace, 849 involved intentional injury caused by another person. A Medscape survey published earlier this year found that almost 70% of physicians believe that physical security at work is a more pressing issue than it was three years ago, and a 2024 poll of members of the American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP) found that 91% said they had experienced workplace violence or were aware of a college who was a victim of workplace violence in the past year. According to the World Health Organization, up to 38% of healthcare workers experience physical violence at some point in their careers, and the problem is getting worse.

A report produced by the Department of Labor’s Office of Inspector General in 2001 found that OSHA could do more to address workplace violence and recommended a reassessment of its training and outreach programs, and better recordkeeping systems for incidents involving workplace violence. The OIG audit, due to take place this year, will evaluate the steps that OSHA has taken to address workplace violence since that report was published, and how effectively OSHA is working to prevent violence in workplaces. OSHA has yet to implement a standard for workplace violence, although a potential standard on workplace violence for healthcare and social assistance is one of its long-term actions.

The post DoL OIG to Audit OSHA to Assess Agency’s Efforts to Prevent Workplace Violence appeared first on The HIPAA Journal.

Data Breach Reported by Orthopedic Implant Manufacturer TriMed

Posted by Steve Alder

TriMed, a Santa Clarita, California-based manufacturer of upper and lower orthopedic implants, has announced a data security incident involving unauthorized access to parts of its network where order forms and invoices were stored. While in the most part the exposed data only contained information related to the company’s hardware and the individuals who received it, in some cases, the documentation included personal information.

TriMed identified suspicious activity without certain systems in September 2025, prompting an investigation to determine the nature and scope of the activity. The forensic investigation determined that an unauthorized third party had access to parts of its environment between September 13, 2025, and September 21, 2025, during which time, files were potentially accessed and acquired by the unauthorized third party.

TriMed manufactures hardware that is surgically implanted to repair or replace damaged joints. A programmatic and manual review of the exposed files confirmed that they contained information related to that hardware, which would have been ordered on a patient’s behalf, including part type, associated installation components such as screws, or the ordering surgeon’s name. While the affected documents do not typically include personal information, in certain cases, the documents contained names, dates of birth, and medical record numbers. The exposed documents did not contain Social Security numbers or financial information such as bank account or credit/debit card numbers.

TriMed has taken steps to augment security to prevent similar incidents in the future, including strengthening its existing security controls and threat detection practices. Further, TriMed has integrated a global security operations center and will continue to update its security measures, as appropriate, in the future. TriMed reported the incident to law enforcement, but there was no request to delay notifications to the affected individuals. The notification letters were sent as soon as possible once the affected individuals and data categories were identified. While Social Security numbers were not involved, credit monitoring and identity theft protection services have been offered for 24 months, according to the notification letter sent to the Maine Attorney General.

The Maine Attorney General was informed that two Maine residents were affected, but the data breach listing does not state how many individuals were affected in total, and the incident has yet to be added to the HHS’ Office for Civil Rights website. No known threat group appears to have claimed responsibility for the attack.

The post Data Breach Reported by Orthopedic Implant Manufacturer TriMed appeared first on The HIPAA Journal.