--- title: Stern Warning From HIPAA Enforcer – Conduct Your Risk Analysis Or Else! description: Stern Warning From HIPAA Enforcer – Conduct Your Risk Analysis Or Else! image: https://ontimetech.valeonetworks.com/hubfs/Blog%20Images/Imported_Blog_Media/HIPAA-Police-1.jpg --- [Skip to the main content.](https://ontimetech.valeonetworks.com/blog/stern-warning-from-hipaa-enforcer-conduct-your-risk-analysis-or-else#main-content) [![OTT powerd by VN big](https://ontimetech.valeonetworks.com/hs-fs/hubfs/OTT%20powerd%20by%20VN%20big.png?width=500&height=175&name=OTT%20powerd%20by%20VN%20big.png "OTT powerd by VN big")](https://ontimetech.valeonetworks.com) [![OTT powerd by VN big](https://ontimetech.valeonetworks.com/hs-fs/hubfs/OTT%20powerd%20by%20VN%20big.png?width=500&height=175&name=OTT%20powerd%20by%20VN%20big.png "OTT powerd by VN big")](https://ontimetech.valeonetworks.com) - [Services](https://ontimetech.valeonetworks.com/our-services/) - [Managed It Services](https://ontimetech.valeonetworks.com/our-services/managed-it/) - [Cybersecurity](https://ontimetech.valeonetworks.com/our-services/cybersecurity/) - [Cloud Solutions](https://ontimetech.valeonetworks.com/our-services/cloud-solutions/) - [Compliance](https://ontimetech.valeonetworks.com/our-services/compliance/) - [Industries](https://ontimetech.valeonetworks.com/industries/) - [Resources](https://ontimetech.valeonetworks.com/resources/) - [Blog](https://ontimetech.valeonetworks.com/blog) - [About](https://ontimetech.valeonetworks.com/about/) - [Client Testimonials](https://ontimetech.valeonetworks.com/testimonials/) [415-294-5250](tel:4152945250) [Client Portal](https://portal.Valeonetworks.com) Toggle Menu Toggle Menu [415-294-5250](tel:4152945250) [Client Portal](https://portal.Valeonetworks.com) - [Services *Toggle Menu*](https://ontimetech.valeonetworks.com/our-services/) - [Managed It Services](https://ontimetech.valeonetworks.com/our-services/managed-it/) - [Cybersecurity](https://ontimetech.valeonetworks.com/our-services/cybersecurity/) - [Cloud Solutions](https://ontimetech.valeonetworks.com/our-services/cloud-solutions/) - [Compliance](https://ontimetech.valeonetworks.com/our-services/compliance/) - [Industries](https://ontimetech.valeonetworks.com/industries/) - [Resources *Toggle Menu*](https://ontimetech.valeonetworks.com/resources/) - [Blog](https://ontimetech.valeonetworks.com/blog) - [About *Toggle Menu*](https://ontimetech.valeonetworks.com/about/) - [Client Testimonials](https://ontimetech.valeonetworks.com/testimonials/) - Example Link - Example Link - Example Link [*Facebook*](https://ontimetech.valeonetworks.com/blog/stern-warning-from-hipaa-enforcer-conduct-your-risk-analysis-or-else#0) [*Instagram*](https://ontimetech.valeonetworks.com/blog/stern-warning-from-hipaa-enforcer-conduct-your-risk-analysis-or-else#0) [*LinkedIn*](https://ontimetech.valeonetworks.com/blog/stern-warning-from-hipaa-enforcer-conduct-your-risk-analysis-or-else#0) [*Twitter*](https://ontimetech.valeonetworks.com/blog/stern-warning-from-hipaa-enforcer-conduct-your-risk-analysis-or-else#0) [*Youtube*](https://ontimetech.valeonetworks.com/blog/stern-warning-from-hipaa-enforcer-conduct-your-risk-analysis-or-else#0) [*Medium*](https://ontimetech.valeonetworks.com/blog/stern-warning-from-hipaa-enforcer-conduct-your-risk-analysis-or-else#0) 2 min read # Stern Warning From HIPAA Enforcer – Conduct Your Risk Analysis Or Else! [Lance Stone](https://ontimetech.valeonetworks.com/blog/author/ulisticadmin) : Oct 6, 2014, 4:05:24 PM [Managed IT Services](https://ontimetech.valeonetworks.com/blog/tag/managed-it-services) ![HIPAA Enforcement](https://ontimetech.valeonetworks.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Blog%20Images/Imported_Blog_Media/HIPAA-Police-1.jpg?width=200&name=HIPAA-Police-1.jpg)**The feds are coming, and they might be coming for you.** That’s right, the federal regulators overseeing the healthcare industry in the United States are ramping up their HIPAA enforcement activities including their soon-to-be-relaunched COMPLIANCE AUDITS. The feds want medical clinics and business associates to **heed this warning**. Conduct your risk analysis and assessments or face the consequences. A whopping **two-thirds of organizations** audited under HIPAA did not conduct a risk assessment according to OCR senior adviser, Linda Sanches. That’s a huge number of organizations falling short of their [compliance](https://www.ontimetech.com/compliance/) requirements, and it won’t be long until the penalties start raining down. [Jocelyn Samuels](http://www.healthcareinfosecurity.com/jocelyn-samuels-named-new-ocr-director-a-7010), the director of the Department of Health and Human Services, made her stance very clear in her first public appearance since taking on the job as the country’s top HIPAA muscle: **Conduct your risk assessments as required under the HIPAA rules to mitigate risks and avoid breaches.** Samuels said, “We continue to see a lack of comprehensive and enterprise-wide risk analysis and risk management that leads to major breaches and other compliance problems.” Samuels’ strong-arm approach of enforcement is a key mechanism of her strategy to ensure compliance with HIPAA. **This also includes business associates who work in the medical industry**. How can your clinic or business prevent hefty fines for non-compliance? 1. **Conduct your risk analysis**: This is a simple way to ensure all your bases are covered. When the OCR investigates a breach, they not only look at the actions after the breach occurred to ensure it never happens again, but they also look at what was done prior to the breach occurring in the first place. Get ahead of any problems by conducting the risk analysis, not only to prove that you did your duty, but also to hopefully catch issues before they can lead to a data breach. 2. **Training**: Are all your employees trained to identify and respond to security incidents? Training is a key way to help employees prevent breaches and compliance violations from occurring in the first place, but also consider what training occurs **after an incident** to learn from mistakes and protect patient information. 3. **Agreements**: Do you have all your business associate agreements in place with all your service companies, suppliers, and consultants? Make sure all your bases are covered – if one of your associates makes a mistake, you could be liable too. **Business Associates: You Can No Longer Hide!** The next phase of HIPAA compliance audits will include you. Organizations will be chosen in the near future as part of the next volley of routine check-ins by the OCR. Not chosen? **Don’t celebrate just yet**. If a breach occurs, your organization may be identified throughout the investigate process, and you could still find yourself liable for damages. **Be Forewarned**: Conduct your Risk Assessment now. Failure to conduct a risk assessment could lead to large fines if a breach occurs and it is traced back to your organization. Don’t leave your practice and livelihood endangered because you decided a risk assessment wasn’t worth it. **Are you a medical clinic or business associate and not sure where to turn? Contact our team of medical IT professionals today. We will sit down with you and discuss how your organization can prepare today and what to watch out for in the future. We will also conduct a full HIPAA risk assessment or risk analysis to make sure any potential pitfalls are cleared up.** **Call {phone} or email us at {email} to learn more about our medical IT services and HIPAA risk analysis solutions.** - [Tweet](https://twitter.com/share) #### ![BusinessOwnerGuidetoM&A-1](https://ontimetech.valeonetworks.com/hs-fs/hubfs/BusinessOwnerGuidetoM%26A-1.png?width=303&height=209&name=BusinessOwnerGuidetoM%26A-1.png) #### Download our eBook*THE ULTIMATE ROADMAP TO CMMC COMPLIANCE* by filling out the form below! [![Kansas Addiction Treatment Organization’s Email Hack Leads To Data Breach](https://ontimetech.valeonetworks.com/hubfs/Blog%20Images/Imported_Blog_Media/GettyImages-906812954-1.jpg)](https://ontimetech.valeonetworks.com/blog/kansas-addiction-treatment-organizations-email-hack-leads-to-data-breach) 1 min read #### [Kansas Addiction Treatment Organization’s Email Hack Leads To Data Breach](https://ontimetech.valeonetworks.com/blog/kansas-addiction-treatment-organizations-email-hack-leads-to-data-breach) [Lance Stone](https://ontimetech.valeonetworks.com/blog/author/lance-stone) : Feb 7, 2019, 10:59:00 AM When people go to their doctors, they assume their information is protected. They freely and willingly provide personal information, like social... [Managed IT Services](https://ontimetech.valeonetworks.com/blog/tag/managed-it-services) [Read More](https://ontimetech.valeonetworks.com/blog/kansas-addiction-treatment-organizations-email-hack-leads-to-data-breach) [![Education: Digital Literacy and Access Are No Longer Optional](https://ontimetech.valeonetworks.com/hubfs/Blog%20Images/Imported_Blog_Media/ThinkstockPhotos-839318428.jpg)](https://ontimetech.valeonetworks.com/blog/education-digital-literacy-and-access-are-no-longer-optional) #### [Education: Digital Literacy and Access Are No Longer Optional](https://ontimetech.valeonetworks.com/blog/education-digital-literacy-and-access-are-no-longer-optional) [Lance Stone](https://ontimetech.valeonetworks.com/blog/author/ulisticadmin) : Aug 31, 2018, 2:57:36 PM The debate about whether or not tech should be in schools has largely been put aside, technophobes and Waldorf School Curricula notwithstanding. In... [Managed IT Services](https://ontimetech.valeonetworks.com/blog/tag/managed-it-services) [Read More](https://ontimetech.valeonetworks.com/blog/education-digital-literacy-and-access-are-no-longer-optional) #### [Great Information Graphic On Secure Communications With Healthcare](https://ontimetech.valeonetworks.com/blog/great-information-graphic-on-secure-communications-with-healthcare) [Lance Stone](https://ontimetech.valeonetworks.com/blog/author/ulisticadmin) : Jul 24, 2014, 9:34:34 AM Thanks to our friends at HIPAA Secure Now for sharing this awesome infographic. [Managed IT Services](https://ontimetech.valeonetworks.com/blog/tag/managed-it-services) [Read More](https://ontimetech.valeonetworks.com/blog/great-information-graphic-on-secure-communications-with-healthcare) ![OTT White logo](https://ontimetech.valeonetworks.com/hs-fs/hubfs/VN%20-%20Division%20Logos/OTT%20Logo/OTT%20White%20logo.png?width=524&height=140&name=OTT%20White%20logo.png)   ##### About About On Time Tech is an IT Support and Computer Services company serving California. We provide services to the areas in and around We know businesses like yours need technology support in order to run highly-effective organizations. Leverage pro-growth technology services for your company now. ##### Explore On Time Time Explore On Time Time - [Our Services](https://ontimetech.valeonetworks.com/our-services/) - [Industries](https://ontimetech.valeonetworks.com/industries/) - [Resources](https://ontimetech.valeonetworks.com/resources/) - [About](https://ontimetech.valeonetworks.com/about/) - [Contact](https://ontimetech.valeonetworks.com/contact/) ##### Contact Contact **San Francisco:** 1717 Fifth Ave San Rafael, CA 94901 [415-294-5250](tel:4152945250) Business Hours: M-F: 8AM-9PM - [Privacy Policy](https://ontimetech.valeonetworks.com/privacy-policy/) © 2026 On Time Tech [*Facebook*](https://www.facebook.com/ontimetechsf/)[*Twitter*](https://twitter.com/on_time_tech?lang=en)[*LinkedIn*](https://www.linkedin.com/company/ontimetech/)[*YouTube*](https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCubqs9PU_WWF-RFhfK9xNpw) [![Alura White logo](https://ontimetech.valeonetworks.com/hs-fs/hubfs/VN%20-%20Division%20Logos/Alura%20White%20logo.png?width=295&height=115&name=Alura%20White%20logo.png)](https://alura.valeonetworks.com/) [![Next.I.T._White-Logo](https://ontimetech.valeonetworks.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Next.I.T._White-Logo.png?width=328&height=136&name=Next.I.T._White-Logo.png)](https://next-it.net/) [![White-OTT-Logo-1-768x253](https://ontimetech.valeonetworks.com/hs-fs/hubfs/White-OTT-Logo-1-768x253.png?width=313&height=103&name=White-OTT-Logo-1-768x253.png)](https://www.ontimetech.com/) [![Valeo-Logo-White (1)](https://ontimetech.valeonetworks.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Valeo-Logo-White%20(1).png?width=288&height=123&name=Valeo-Logo-White%20(1).png)](https://valeonetworks.com/) *Return to Top* ```json { "@context" : "https://schema.org", "@type" : "BlogPosting", "author" : { "@type" : "Person", "name" : "Lance Stone", "url" : "https://ontimetech.valeonetworks.com/blog/author/ulisticadmin" }, "dateModified" : "2024-01-10T16:39:33.753Z", "datePublished" : "2014-10-06T20:05:24.000Z", "headline" : "Stern Warning From HIPAA Enforcer – Conduct Your Risk Analysis Or Else!", "image" : [ "https://ontimetech.valeonetworks.com/hubfs/Blog%20Images/Imported_Blog_Media/HIPAA-Police-1.jpg" ], "mainEntityOfPage" : { "@id" : "https://ontimetech.valeonetworks.com/blog/stern-warning-from-hipaa-enforcer-conduct-your-risk-analysis-or-else", "@type" : "WebPage" }, "publisher" : { "@type" : "Organization", "logo" : { "@type" : "ImageObject", "url" : "https://ontimetech.valeonetworks.com/hubfs/OTT%20-%20Color%20Logo.png" }, "name" : "Valeo Networks" } } ```