How to Handle PHI Securely and Avoid HIPAA Violations

This guidance explains what constitutes Protected Health Information (PHI), common HIPAA-related risks (unauthorized access, lack of encryption, third‑party exposures, lost devices), and prescribes controls — including AES-256 encryption, RBAC, MFA/MDM, UBA/DLP monitoring, email authentication (SPF/DKIM/DMARC), Business Associate Agreements and vendor auditing — mapped to administrative, physical, and technical HIPAA safeguards, with recommendations for continuous third‑party monitoring and incident response preparation.