FOR HEALTHCARE PRACTICES
Most small healthcare practices think their software handles HIPAA. It does not. Software covers data hygiene. It does not produce a written, OCR-defensible Risk Analysis. It does not vet your business associates. It does not document your security awareness training. North Privacy Advisors closes those gaps for dental, medical, mental health, and specialty practices.
THE GAP
Practice management platforms and EHR systems handle access controls, audit logs, and encryption at rest. That is real value. But the HIPAA Security Rule has 18 implementation specifications across administrative, physical, and technical safeguards. Software touches a fraction of them.
The pieces that fall outside software are exactly the pieces OCR investigates first when a complaint or breach hits: the written Risk Analysis required by 45 CFR 164.308(a)(1)(ii)(A), the Business Associate Agreement chain, the documented training program, the contingency plan, the access management policies, and the breach notification protocol.
OCR's Risk Analysis Initiative resulted in 12 documented enforcement actions through February 2026. The single most cited deficiency in those settlements: failure to conduct or maintain a written Risk Analysis. Practice management software does not produce one.
The "small practice" assumption is wrong. HIPAA has no employee count threshold. A solo dental practice has the same legal obligations as a hospital system. OCR settlements regularly include practices with under 20 employees.
WHAT WE DO FOR HEALTHCARE PRACTICES
WHY A CIPP/US ADVISOR vs SOFTWARE OR YOUR IT VENDOR
Software vendors
Sell tools that produce checklists, audit logs, and policy templates. Helpful, but they cannot interpret your specific practice, sign a Business Associate Agreement on your behalf, conduct a Risk Analysis, or sit across from an OCR investigator and explain your decisions.
Your IT vendor or MSP
Implements technical safeguards: encryption, access controls, backup, network security. Critical work. But the HIPAA Privacy Rule, Security Rule administrative safeguards, vendor risk, training documentation, and breach response plan all sit outside their scope.
A CIPP/US privacy advisor
Specifically certified in US privacy law by the IAPP. Produces the written documentation OCR asks for. Reviews the BAAs your software vendor would never volunteer to audit. Trains your workforce. Owns the artifacts that prove compliance to a regulator.
Together
Software + IT + privacy advisor is the only configuration that survives an OCR investigation. We work alongside your existing software and IT vendor, not in place of them.
WHO WE SERVE
Top 3 privacy risks in 48 hours. Flat fee. No retainer. No commitment. The fastest way to know exactly where you stand.
Or book a free 30-minute consultation to discuss your practice.