For Family Medicine, Internal Medicine, and Pediatrics

HIPAA Compliance for Primary Care

Built for solo PCPs, family medicine clinics, and small internal medicine groups. Handles EHR vendor BAAs, lab interfaces, patient portals, and the specific documentation OCR audits expect.

No signup required for the quiz. See your compliance score in 2 minutes.

What OCR Audits in Primary Care Practices

Why primary care practices face unique HIPAA risk

EHR vendors are not automatically BAA-covered

Most primary care practices use cloud EHRs but never explicitly signed the BAA — they assumed it came with the subscription. 45 CFR § 164.308(b)(1) requires a signed agreement. Audit risk: the BAA is the #2 most-cited missing document after the SRA.

Lab interfaces are constant PHI transmission

Quest, LabCorp, and local hospital labs send results electronically all day. Each interface is a covered transmission and needs encryption, BAA coverage, and an audit trail — 45 CFR § 164.312(e).

Patient portals need explicit disclosures

Your patient portal vendor is a Business Associate, and the portal itself needs a Notice of Privacy Practices that addresses electronic delivery, message retention, and breach notification — 45 CFR § 164.520(c).

Insurance and care-coordination disclosures

Practices routinely share PHI with insurers, referring specialists, and care-management programs. Each disclosure type has different rules — 45 CFR § 164.506 covers treatment/payment/operations, § 164.508 covers everything else.

Built For You

What TrackHIPAA does for primary care practices

EHR vendor BAA template

Ready-to-send BAA matching the language of major primary-care EHRs (Athenahealth, eClinicalWorks, NextGen, Epic Community Connect).

Lab interface compliance checklist

Documentation of every electronic lab interface, including encryption verification, BAA status, and audit-log review.

Patient portal disclosures

NPP language and authorization forms specific to patient portals, including SMS appointment reminders and electronic statement delivery.

Treatment / Payment / Operations workflows

Decision tree for when § 164.506 (no authorization needed) applies vs § 164.508 (authorization required), with sample workflows.

Multi-provider practice management

Up to 5 users included — provider, NPs, MA, front desk, biller — each with their own login and trained-status tracking.

Policies Included

Documents customized for primary care practices

Each policy is generated from your practice profile (state, size, systems used) and signed off by you as Privacy Officer.

  • Notice of Privacy Practices (with portal language)
  • EHR Business Associate Agreement
  • Patient Right of Access (federal + state overlays)
  • Treatment, Payment, Operations Procedure
  • Lab Interface Compliance Documentation
  • Workforce Training Program
  • Risk Management Plan

Plus 25+ additional policies covering every HIPAA requirement — full list on the pricing page.

Frequently Asked

Primary Care Practice-specific questions

Do I have a BAA with my EHR vendor?

You should have one in writing. Most EHR vendors include a BAA in their standard contract or have a separate BAA available on request. Check your contract package — if you can't find it, request it from your account manager. Continuing to use an EHR without a signed BAA is a violation of 45 CFR § 164.308(b)(1).

What about lab interfaces — do labs need BAAs too?

Yes, every lab you send PHI to is a Business Associate under 45 CFR § 160.103. Quest, LabCorp, and most hospital labs have BAAs available on request. Local independent labs may not — those need a written BAA before continuing to transmit results.

Can I send appointment reminders via SMS?

Yes, but you need to: (1) get patient consent for SMS communications (most practices do this on the patient registration form), (2) keep the message minimal — appointment time and location, no clinical detail, (3) note this communication channel in your Notice of Privacy Practices.

See all 14 general FAQs →

Get audit-ready in 2 minutes

Take the free 15-question compliance quiz tailored to primary care practices. See your score, identify gaps, no signup required.