# Patient Protect LLC — Full Reference Document # https://patient-protect.com # Last updated: 2026-04-17 # For the summary version, see: https://patient-protect.com/llms.txt # Machine-readable FAQ content is available on the public FAQ page: https://patient-protect.com/faq > Security-first HIPAA compliance software that prevents breaches — not just documents compliance. Built for independent healthcare practices. $39–$99/month. No contracts. ## Frequently Asked Questions ### What is Patient Protect? Patient Protect is a security-first HIPAA compliance platform built for independent healthcare providers. It provides automated security risk assessments, real-time threat monitoring, policy management, staff training, and secure communication tools — without enterprise pricing or complexity. ### How much does Patient Protect cost? Patient Protect offers two plans: Core at $39/month for essential SaaS compliance, and Pro at $99/month for complete operational visibility including advanced monitoring, training, and secure messaging. Both include a 14-day free trial (credit card required for identity verification — no charge until trial ends). A free risk assessment is also available with no account required. ### Who is Patient Protect designed for? Independent healthcare providers including dental practices, medical offices, behavioral health and therapy practices, chiropractic offices, physical therapy centers, optometry practices, and dermatology clinics. It is not designed for large hospital systems or enterprise organizations with dedicated IT departments. ### Does Patient Protect help with the HIPAA Security Risk Assessment? Yes. Patient Protect includes an automated Security Risk Assessment (SRA) tool mapped to the NIST Cybersecurity Framework. It identifies vulnerabilities, scores risk, and generates documentation required by the HIPAA Security Rule. ### What free HIPAA tools does Patient Protect offer? Several free tools with no login required: a real-time HIPAA Breach Dashboard tracking all OCR-reported U.S. breaches, an abbreviated HIPAA Risk Assessment, a comprehensive HIPAA Compliance Roadmap and Checklist, an ePHI Flow Risk Mapper, and a HIPAA Risk Calculator. ### How is Patient Protect different from other HIPAA compliance platforms? Patient Protect provides continuous real-time security monitoring and active breach prevention. Most compliance platforms focus primarily on generating documentation and policies. Patient Protect starts at $39–$99/month with no contracts — built specifically for independent practices. ### How do I know if my practice is actually HIPAA compliant? Most practices assume they are compliant because they have policies on paper. Actual compliance requires continuous risk assessments, documented training, access controls, audit trails, and breach detection capability. The free risk assessment at Patient Protect shows you exactly where your gaps are in five minutes. ### What happens if my practice is breached and I am not compliant? Penalties range from $100 to $50,000 per violation, up to $1.5 million per year per category. Beyond fines, breaches cause patient lawsuits, reputational damage, and operational disruption. 35–40% of small practices that experience a breach close within two years. ### Is HIPAA compliance a one-time project or an ongoing requirement? Ongoing. HIPAA requires continuous risk assessment, regular training, policy reviews, and active monitoring. A one-time assessment does not satisfy the regulation. That is why Patient Protect provides daily tasks, live scoring, and continuous diagnostics — not annual binders. ### Can I text patients from my personal phone? No. SMS, iMessage, and WhatsApp are not HIPAA compliant — each text containing ePHI is a separate potential violation. Patient Protect includes encrypted secure messaging that replaces personal phone communication with compliant, auditable workflows. ### Do I need a Business Associate Agreement with every vendor? Yes — every vendor that creates, receives, maintains, or transmits ePHI on your behalf must have a signed BAA. Missing BAAs are one of the most commonly cited HIPAA violations, even when no breach has occurred. ### How long does it take to get started with Patient Protect? Start with the free risk assessment (5 minutes, no login). If you move to the platform, onboarding takes less than a day — no consultants, no implementation projects, no contracts. You can cancel anytime. ### Is there an official HIPAA certification? No. There is no government-issued HIPAA certification. HHS/OCR does not certify compliance. Vendor "certifications" and "seals" are proprietary marketing credentials with no regulatory standing. Compliance is demonstrated through documentation, safeguards, and operational evidence — not a certificate. ### Is Zoom HIPAA compliant? Zoom can be HIPAA compliant with a Zoom for Healthcare or Business+ plan, a signed BAA, and proper admin settings configured. The free plan does not qualify. Full guide: https://patient-protect.com/post/is-zoom-hipaa-compliant ### Is Gmail HIPAA compliant? Free Gmail is not HIPAA compliant. Google Workspace (Business plans and above) can be compliant with a signed BAA and admin configuration (DLP, MFA, retention policies). Full guide: https://patient-protect.com/post/is-gmail-hipaa-compliant ### Is Microsoft Teams HIPAA compliant? Microsoft Teams can be HIPAA compliant with a Microsoft 365 Business or Enterprise plan, a signed BAA, and admin configuration. The free version does not qualify. Full guide: https://patient-protect.com/post/is-microsoft-teams-hipaa-compliant ### Is faxing HIPAA compliant? Traditional analog faxing (landline to landline) is generally considered HIPAA compliant. Cloud fax and email-to-fax services transmit over the internet and require a BAA, encryption, and access controls. Full guide: https://patient-protect.com/post/is-faxing-hipaa-compliant ### What are HIPAA violation penalties? Penalties range from $137 to $2,067,813 per violation depending on the level of culpability. Tier 1 (unknowing): $137–$68,928. Tier 2 (reasonable cause): $1,379–$68,928. Tier 3 (willful neglect, corrected): $13,785–$68,928. Tier 4 (willful neglect, not corrected): $68,928–$2,067,813. Full guide: https://patient-protect.com/hipaa-violation-penalties ### What should I do if my practice is breached? Immediately: stop the breach, activate incident response, assess scope. Within 60 days: notify HHS OCR and affected individuals. If 500+ individuals: notify state AG and prominent media. Full step-by-step guide: https://patient-protect.com/breach-response ## Complete Page Directory ### Core Pages - Homepage: https://patient-protect.com - Features: https://patient-protect.com/features - Pricing: https://patient-protect.com/pricing - About: https://patient-protect.com/about - Security & Trust: https://patient-protect.com/security - Contact: https://patient-protect.com/contact - FAQ: https://patient-protect.com/faq - Careers: https://patient-protect.com/careers ### Free Tools - Risk Assessment: https://patient-protect.com/risk-assessment - Self-Assessment: https://patient-protect.com/assessment - ePHI Data Flow Mapper: https://patient-protect.com/hipaa-ephi-data-flow - Compliance Checklist: https://patient-protect.com/hipaa-compliance-checklist - Entity Determination Tool: https://patient-protect.com/entity-determination-tool - Risk Calculator: https://patient-protect.com/hipaa-risk-calculator - Secure Infrastructure Checklist: https://patient-protect.com/secure-infrastructure-checklist - Breach Dashboard: https://patient-protect.com/breachdash - Free HIPAA Training: https://patient-protect.com/free-hipaa-training ### Breach Intelligence - Breach Dashboard: https://patient-protect.com/breachdash - State Breach Data Hub: https://patient-protect.com/breachdash/state - HIPAA Pulse News: https://patient-protect.com/hipaa-pulse - RSS Feed: https://patient-protect.com/hipaa-pulse/feed.xml ### Competitor Comparisons - Compare Hub: https://patient-protect.com/compare - vs. Compliancy Group: https://patient-protect.com/compare/compliancy-group - vs. Abyde: https://patient-protect.com/compare/abyde - vs. AccountableHQ: https://patient-protect.com/compare/accountablehq - vs. TotalHIPAA: https://patient-protect.com/compare/totalhipaa ### Tool Compliance Guides - Hub: https://patient-protect.com/hipaa-compliant-tools - Zoom: https://patient-protect.com/post/is-zoom-hipaa-compliant - Gmail: https://patient-protect.com/post/is-gmail-hipaa-compliant - Google Workspace: https://patient-protect.com/post/is-google-workspace-hipaa-compliant - Microsoft Teams: https://patient-protect.com/post/is-microsoft-teams-hipaa-compliant - Dropbox: https://patient-protect.com/post/is-dropbox-hipaa-compliant - Slack: https://patient-protect.com/post/is-slack-hipaa-compliant - Faxing: https://patient-protect.com/post/is-faxing-hipaa-compliant - AWS: https://patient-protect.com/post/is-aws-hipaa-compliant - Voicemail: https://patient-protect.com/post/is-voicemail-hipaa-compliant - Email: https://patient-protect.com/hipaa-compliant-email ### Crisis Response Guides - Breach Response: https://patient-protect.com/breach-response - OCR Investigation: https://patient-protect.com/ocr-investigation - Vendor Breach: https://patient-protect.com/vendor-breach - Violation Penalties: https://patient-protect.com/hipaa-violation-penalties - Unauthorized Access: https://patient-protect.com/unauthorized-access ### Practice-Specific Guides - Dentists: https://patient-protect.com/hipaa-compliance-for-dentists - Therapists: https://patient-protect.com/hipaa-compliance-for-therapists - Chiropractors: https://patient-protect.com/hipaa-compliance-for-chiropractors - Medical Practices: https://patient-protect.com/hipaa-compliance-for-medical-practices - Physical Therapists: https://patient-protect.com/hipaa-compliance-for-physical-therapists - Optometrists: https://patient-protect.com/hipaa-compliance-for-optometrists - Telehealth: https://patient-protect.com/hipaa-compliance-for-telehealth ### Educational Content - Blog: https://patient-protect.com/blog - What Is HIPAA: https://patient-protect.com/what-is-hipaa-compliance - Violation Examples: https://patient-protect.com/hipaa-violations-examples - Compliant Messaging: https://patient-protect.com/hipaa-compliant-messaging - Resources: https://patient-protect.com/resources - Research: https://patient-protect.com/research - LLM Readability: https://patient-protect.com/llms ### Research Papers - Paper 1: https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=5257628 - Paper 2: https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=5792382 ## Machine-Readable Endpoints - FAQ: https://patient-protect.com/faq - LLMs Summary: https://patient-protect.com/llms.txt - LLMs Full: https://patient-protect.com/llms-full.txt - RSS (HIPAA Pulse): https://patient-protect.com/hipaa-pulse/feed.xml - Sitemap: https://patient-protect.com/sitemap.xml ## Copyright © 2026 Patient Protect LLC. All rights reserved.