Is Your Scheduling Tool Violating HIPAA?

Author

HIPAA Insider
September 03, 2025

🎥 New Episode: How to Schedule Appointments Online Without Breaking HIPAA
by HIPAA Vault

Looking for a HIPAA-compliant online scheduling tool?

This episode breaks it all down.
From PHI risks to plugin vulnerabilities, Adam Zeinedine and Gil Vidals cover the critical steps healthcare providers must take to stay compliant—and avoid costly HIPAA fines.

🎯 Key Takeaways:
✅ How to protect sensitive patient data while offering online scheduling
✅ Common mistakes that lead to HIPAA violations
✅ How to select the right HIPAA-compliant scheduling tool
✅ Why even small practices can easily get compliant (with the right setup)

Whether you're running a large medical center or a growing private practice, this episode is packed with practical tips to streamline appointments without compromising patient privacy.

✅ HIPAA Compliance Tip of the Week

Online Scheduling = PHI = HIPAA Compliance Required

Don't get caught off guard.
Scheduling tools collect sensitive data—and if it’s stored, transferred, or handled improperly, you’re exposed.

Action Steps:

  • 🛡 Sign a Business Associate Agreement (BAA) with any platform that touches patient data

  • 🔐 Encrypt data in transit and at rest

  • 🔍 Enforce access controls, audit logs, and 2FA for scheduling platforms

  • 💸 Avoid “free” plugins—paying ensures updates and support

“Adding scheduling is convenient—but if it’s not configured securely, it’s a liability.”
— Gil Vidals, CTO, HIPAA Vault

Industry News Roundup

Legacy Treatment Services Breach

New Jersey-based Legacy Treatment Services confirmed a data breach that exposed sensitive info of 41,826 individuals, including Social Security numbers, treatment details, and financial data. The breach, which occurred in October 2024, was only confirmed in July 2025. Victims are being offered free credit monitoring and ID theft protection.
👉 Click here to dive into the full story and see what data was compromised →

Cyberattack Exposes 90,000 Medical Patients

FujiFilm Synapse Software Vulnerability
A medium-severity security flaw (CVE-2025-54551) has been found in FujiFilm Synapse Mobility, a medical imaging viewer. The vulnerability, present in all versions prior to 8.2, could allow attackers to bypass authentication and access restricted data by tweaking search parameters. FujiFilm has patched the issue in version 8.2 and released fixes for earlier versions.
👉 Click here to read the full breakdown and see if your system is at risk →

⚙️ Need HIPAA-Compliant Scheduling? We've Got You.

HIPAA Vault helps you build and secure your patient scheduling stack, from plugin vetting to infrastructure hardening.

Our team delivers:

  • 🧠 Compliance support for small & mid-sized practices

  • 🔐 Secure hosting + fully signed BAA

  • 📦 WordPress setup with vetted HIPAA-safe plugins

  • 🔄 Updates, 2FA, and real-time monitoring included