HIPAA compliance mistakes can lead to serious consequences—from costly fines to data breaches and loss of patient trust. Yet many small and mid-sized practices unknowingly leave gaps in their compliance strategies. These oversights may seem minor, but they can trigger major issues during an audit or cyber incident.
In this post, we’ll break down three of the most common HIPAA compliance mistakes practices make—and how to correct them with smarter training, technical safeguards, and documentation.
1. Inadequate & Infrequent Employee Training
One of the most frequent HIPAA compliance mistakes is failing to regularly train employees. Human error remains the leading cause of HIPAA-related breaches. In fact, 61% of U.S. healthcare breach incidents in 2025 stemmed from negligent employee behaviors.
HIPAA regulations require ongoing staff education—not just a one-time onboarding session. Practices should implement ongoing cybersecurity awareness training that includes phishing simulations, real-world scenarios, and documented completion logs.
Recommended Actions:
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Conduct role-based HIPAA training throughout the year
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Simulate phishing attacks to reinforce awareness
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Maintain training logs for all staff, including contractors
2. Weak Device Security & Access Controls
Another overlooked HIPAA compliance mistake is a lack of proper device protections and access management. Shared logins, unencrypted mobile devices, and missing two-factor authentication (2FA) all increase the risk of unauthorized access to protected health information (PHI).
Recent HHS investigations have prioritized enforcement of technical safeguards, including mobile security, 2FA, and session timeout protocols.
Mitigation Strategies:
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Require unique logins for each staff member
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Use 2FA for remote and EHR access
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Encrypt all laptops, smartphones, and devices used to access PHI
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Set automatic timeouts on inactive sessions
3. Outdated or Missing Risk Assessments
HIPAA requires practices to conduct a thorough risk assessment at least annually. But many organizations either skip this process or fail to update it regularly. This is one of the most common and most serious HIPAA compliance mistakes, as it leaves practices unaware of their vulnerabilities.
In early 2025, the HHS Office for Civil Rights increased its penalties for noncompliance with risk analysis requirements.
Take These Steps:
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Complete a HIPAA risk assessment every 12 months
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Document findings and assign remediation steps
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Work with a trusted HIPAA-compliant IT provider to evaluate risks across systems and people
Why This Matters Now
So far in 2025, nearly 30 million patient records have been compromised across the U.S. healthcare system—many due to preventable HIPAA compliance mistakes. Regulators are increasing enforcement and audits, especially among small to mid-sized medical practices.
If your protections haven’t been reviewed in the past year, now is the time.
How CMIT Solutions Can Help
At CMIT Solutions of Brandon–Lakeland, we specialize in helping medical practices close compliance gaps and improve their cybersecurity posture. Our HIPAA-compliant services include:
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Regular staff training and phishing simulations
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Technical safeguards like 2FA, device encryption, and endpoint protection
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HIPAA risk assessments and documentation support
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Ongoing IT management with compliance built-in
Avoid HIPAA compliance mistakes before they cost you.
Schedule a free HIPAA readiness review to evaluate your current posture and build a secure, compliant environment.
Sources
- “The Sky‑High Cyber Risk in Healthcare…” Wall Street Journal, July 3, 2025
- HIPAA Journal “HIPAA Training Requirements – Updated for 2025” (Apr 2025)
- Simbo AI “The Role of Employee Training in HIPAA Compliance” (June 2025)
- Reuters “New legal developments herald big changes for HIPAA compliance in 2025” (Apr 7, 2025)
- HHS Semiannual Report to Congress (Spring 2025)
- HIPAA Journal “May 2025 Healthcare Data Breach Report” (Jun 2025)
- TechTarget “Biggest healthcare data breaches reported in 2025, so far” (Jul 7, 2025)
