When we first started building websites at FDG Web in the early 2000s, HIPAA compliance wasn’t even a consideration for most medical practices.
At the time, online forms and website interactions were seen as simple conveniences, not potential risks to patient privacy.
Fast forward 25 years, and the landscape has drastically changed.
Today, patients expect their private health information (PHI) to be protected as securely as it would be within the walls of their doctor’s office—and rightly so.
A breach of PHI isn’t just a hypothetical nightmare; it’s a real issue that happens far too often.
The fallout goes beyond reputation damage—violations can lead to hefty fines and prolonged legal battles.
That’s why HIPAA compliant web design isn’t something to put off—it’s a critical part of protecting your patients and your practice.
Yet, we’ve seen all kinds of medical practices and businesses fall out of compliance simply because they didn’t realize where the risks were hiding.
Many practitioners assume their website is compliant. Here’s why most are wrong.
Maybe your clinic’s website has a basic contact form, but patients are able to enter PHI without you even realizing it…
…or you run an online store selling supplements, medical devices, or wellness products and unknowingly store customer health data without proper encryption…
…or perhaps you offer digital patient intake forms but aren’t sure if they’re securely stored and transmitted.
No matter your setup (whether you’re a medical office or a store that sells health products), if your website collects, stores, or transmits PHI in any way, you’ll want to read this article from start to finish.
Our goal is to help you feel confident that your site is not only secure but also compliant.
We’ll show you exactly where to look for the most common HIPAA vulnerabilities we find — and what to fix to protect your business.
1. Your Website Has SSL? That’s Cute. Your Data Is Still at Risk.
First, let’s talk about protecting sensitive data.
Many medical businesses assume that if their website has SSL, their data is encrypted and secure. That’s a dangerous misconception.
SSL only encrypts the connection between a user’s browser and your website. It doesn’t encrypt your data once it reaches your server, and it doesn’t protect how that data is stored or shared.
Here’s why that’s a problem:
- If your website has a contact form with a comments field, patients can enter PHI without you even realizing it. Is that data encrypted when stored? If not, it’s sitting in plain text—exposed and vulnerable.
- If you’re using WordPress, Shopify, Wix, or any other website builder that stores form submissions in the database, you may have already violated HIPAA by sending PHI to a third-party platform without a Business Associate Agreement (BAA).
- Even if your forms are encrypted, do you know where that data is stored? Are backups also encrypted? Are you sending form submissions via email? If so, you’ve just transmitted PHI over an insecure channel, which is another HIPAA violation.
You wouldn’t leave patient files lying around in a waiting room.
Your website deserves the same careful attention to keep sensitive information secure.
Even with SSL, many websites unknowingly store sensitive patient data in ways that violate HIPAA. Our 5-Step HIPAA Website Checklist walks you through the lesser-known website vulnerabilities that even secure-looking sites often have.
Expert Tip: Work with developers to ensure your CMS or database includes PHI tagging mechanisms to differentiate between regulated and non-regulated data.
2. Not All Hosting Is HIPAA Compliant—And That’s a Problem
If there’s one key takeaway from this article, it’s this: HIPAA compliance is not guaranteed by every hosting provider or vendor.
Choosing the right hosting provider is one of the most critical steps in HIPAA compliant web design.
This decision ensures your website benefits from essential physical and digital protections for sensitive patient information.
But hosting is only part of the equation.
Anytime you use a third-party tool or plugin that deals with user-disclosed PHI or tracking information, it must also meet HIPAA standards—and that includes signing Business Associate Agreements (BAAs) with any vendor handling Protected Health Information (PHI).
And some big vendors (such as Google) will never sign a BAA. So it’s up to you to configure these tools carefully to ensure PHI never gets sent to them, even for a second.
We’ve seen clients find out too late that their hosting or tools weren’t actually HIPAA compliant, putting their practice at risk. In some cases, it wasn’t even their choice—marketing vendors had installed tools that weren’t in compliance on their behalf.
For example, a healthcare provider might assume their website is secure, only to find out their marketing team added a non-compliant analytics tool that collects PHI without proper safeguards.
Don’t make the same mistake.
Expert Tip: Tools like screen readers and keyboard navigation can inadvertently reveal PHI to unauthorized listeners. Optimize for privacy by ensuring sensitive data is obscured or hidden in screen-reader outputs when not actively selected by the user.
3. Do You Know Who Has Access To Your Systems, And Can You Revoke It?
When it comes to HIPAA compliance, it’s not just about protecting data—it’s about controlling who has access to it. If you don’t have strict access controls in place, you’re already at risk.
Here’s what that means for your website:
- Every user needs their own login – Staff should never share accounts. Shared logins make it impossible to track who accessed or modified PHI, violating HIPAA’s audit requirements. Instead, use role-based access controls to ensure each user only sees the data necessary for their role. Regularly review and remove outdated logins to minimize security risks.
- Vendors must have a BAA – If any third-party vendor has access to your website, they need a signed Business Associate Agreement (BAA). Without one, you’re responsible for any PHI exposure—even if it’s their mistake. Additionally, require multi-factor authentication (MFA) for vendor logins to add an extra layer of security.
- You must be able to revoke access at any time – No vendor should be the only admin on your site. You need full control to remove access instantly if a contract ends, an employee leaves, or a security risk arises. Regularly audit user access to ensure only active, authorized personnel have credentials.
- HIPAA requires audit logs – You must maintain a record of who accessed, modified, or shared PHI. If you can’t track these actions, you’re out of compliance. Monitoring and tracking access logs helps you detect suspicious activity before it becomes a breach.
Access controls might seem like a hassle, but they exist for a reason.
In 2023, a healthcare clinic in Florida was breached simply because one compromised password gave an attacker full access to patient records. Without strong authentication and monitoring, you have no way to stop—or even detect—a similar attack.
If you don’t control who has access to patient data, you don’t control its security.
Expert Tip: Implement context-aware logging and access controls. Typically this can be done with a plugin that tracks every login to the website, what action was taken, and the time/date that it was taken in order to remain compliant.
4. If You’re Sending PHI Over Email, You’re Already Breaking HIPAA
If your website uses email to transmit PHI, you need to immediately stop.
HIPAA rules require secure messaging platforms or encrypted forms for sharing patient information. Email is not one of those platforms.
Email is not encrypted, not controlled, and not compliant. A secure messaging platform keeps patient data protected with encryption, restricted access, and audit logs—everything email lacks.
Transparency also matters, show your patients how their information is protected:
- Publish a clear, accessible HIPAA policy on your website.
- Explain exactly how patient data is collected, used, and protected.
- Collect explicit consent from users before processing their data.
By openly explaining your data policies to your patients, you show them that safeguarding their privacy is your top priority.
Expert Tip: Consider offering a frictionless “save and resume” feature for patient forms—securely storing progress while ensuring compliance in patient portals.
5. A Breach Won’t Announce Itself, but Real-Time Monitoring Can
Cyberattacks, probes and other attacks will happen. No website is 100% immune to this.
That’s why regular monitoring and proactive audits are critical for identifying and addressing vulnerabilities before they lead to a breach.
Here’s how you can stay ahead:
- Use HIPAA compliant or certified Hosting Platforms: These platforms have security in mind as a priority and already adhere to many of the audit and retention standards that are required by HIPAA such as auditing and logging who accesses your website or hosting platform.
- Have someone monitoring and checking on your systems: The sites we build and maintain have automated alerts and notifications that help detect problematic activity as it happens on the site. Most of the time we employ systems that proactively block and report on such traffic or activity.
- Purge PHI data that you do not need regularly: Under HIPAA, you should only be holding on to data for a period of time that is reasonable enough to process the data securely. This is usually no more than 30 days max. If your website is storing entries from any contact forms, we can set up systems that automatically delete entries after a few days or 30 days max.
If the Office for Civil Rights (OCR) investigates an incident, they’ll want to know exactly what protocols you had in place to protect patient data and monitor for incidents.
And saying ‘I don’t know’ isn’t an option. Having a clear breach response plan and documented security measures isn’t just best practice; it’s your legal defense.
Expert Tip: Deploy tools that provide real-time compliance monitoring. Many breaches go undetected for weeks or months, giving attackers more time to access sensitive patient data. By using real-time monitoring tools, you can catch security risks the moment they happen, and respond faster.
How We Help Medical Websites Stay HIPAA Compliant
At FDG Web, we understand that HIPAA compliant web design can feel overwhelming.
That’s why we take a hands-on approach, helping our clients implement these 7 essential steps:
- Auditing and Risk Awareness – We thoroughly audit and evaluate your website and identify HIPAA risks and violations.
- Data Encryption and Security – We ensure that all sensitive data, both in transit and at rest, is fully encrypted. This protects any unintentionally (or intentionally) disclosed patient information from unauthorized access and cyberattacks, reducing the risk of costly data breaches and compliance violations.
- Secure Hosting and Compliance – Not all hosting providers and third-party tools are HIPAA compliant. We vet and select only those that meet the highest security standards, so you can avoid penalties, data exposure, and the headache of switching providers after a violation is discovered.
- User Authentication and Access Controls – Strengthening login security with multi-factor authentication (MFA), role-based access controls, and strict password policies ensures that only authorized personnel can access PHI. This prevents unauthorized access, insider threats, and stolen credential attacks.
- Secure Communication – We help you replace unsecured communication methods (like email) with HIPAA compliant messaging tools, so you can securely communicate with patients while protecting their privacy and avoiding violations.
- Data Transparency with Patients – Patients have a right to know how their data is collected, used, and protected. We help businesses create clear, accessible HIPAA policies and consent forms, ensuring that patients trust your practice and feel confident in sharing their information.
- Monitoring and Breach Response – Regular audits, compliance monitoring, and a solid breach response plan help detect security threats before they escalate. With our approach, you’ll reduce the risk of fines, legal trouble, and reputational damage—giving you peace of mind.
We don’t just build websites; we build trust.
Our approach integrates HIPAA compliant web design practices at every stage, giving you confidence that your website meets the highest security standards.
A Secure Website Builds Trust and Credibility
Your medical website isn’t just a tool for attracting patients; it’s a promise that their privacy and security matter.
By taking the steps outlined above, you’re not just meeting legal requirements—you’re building a reputation as a trusted healthcare provider.
While this guide covers major compliance factors, many websites have risks hidden in unexpected places. Our 5-Step HIPAA Website Checklist helps identify risks that aren’t always obvious. Download our guide, to make sure your site isn’t putting patient data at risk.
Ready to remove your HIPAA risk? Fill out the form below and let’s talk.
