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HIPAA AI Readiness Assessment

Is your mental health practice ready for AI-powered clinical documentation? Use this 25-point checklist to evaluate your compliance posture and infrastructure.

Why AI Readiness Matters

70%

Time Savings

Potential documentation reduction with compliant AI

$50K

Penalty Risk

Per violation for using non-compliant AI tools

47%

Burnout Rate

Among mental health clinicians from documentation burden

AI documentation can transform your practice—but only if implemented with proper HIPAA safeguards. This assessment helps you identify gaps before they become problems.

25-Point HIPAA AI Readiness Checklist

Section 1: Identity & Access Management

Foundation security controls that must be in place before any AI deployment.

  • 1. MFA enforced for all users — Multi-factor authentication required for every account
  • 2. Conditional Access policies configured — Access restricted by location, device compliance, and risk level
  • 3. Admin accounts secured — Separate admin accounts with privileged access workstations
  • 4. Session timeout policies — Automatic logout after inactivity
  • 5. Password/passkey policies — Strong password requirements or passwordless authentication

Section 2: Data Protection

Controls that prevent PHI from leaving your secured environment.

  • 6. DLP policies for HIPAA/PHI — Data Loss Prevention rules detecting and blocking PHI exfiltration
  • 7. Sensitivity labels deployed — Documents classified with PHI labels
  • 8. Public AI sites blocked — ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini blocked via DLP/web filtering
  • 9. Encryption at rest — All stored data encrypted (AES-256 or equivalent)
  • 10. Encryption in transit — TLS 1.2+ enforced for all data transmission

Section 3: Threat Protection

Active defenses against cyber threats.

  • 11. Email protection — Anti-phishing, anti-malware, safe links, safe attachments
  • 12. Endpoint protection — Managed antivirus/EDR on all devices
  • 13. Mobile device management — Intune or equivalent MDM
  • 14. Security awareness training — Regular training for all staff
  • 15. Incident response plan — Documented breach notification procedures

Section 4: Compliance & Governance

Documentation required for HIPAA compliance.

  • 16. Microsoft BAA in place — Business Associate Agreement signed
  • 17. Risk assessment completed — Annual HIPAA security risk assessment
  • 18. AI usage policies documented — Written policies on acceptable AI use
  • 19. Audit logging enabled — Comprehensive audit trails for PHI access
  • 20. Staff training documented — HIPAA training records maintained

Section 5: AI Infrastructure Readiness

Technical requirements for compliant clinical AI.

  • 21. Azure subscription available — Access to Azure for private AI deployment
  • 22. Azure OpenAI access approved — Application submitted/approved for GPT-4o
  • 23. Private network capability — Understanding of private endpoints and VNet
  • 24. EHR integration requirements defined — FHIR, HL7, API needs documented
  • 25. Monitoring/SIEM plan — Plan for monitoring AI usage and compliance

Score Your Readiness

20-25

Ready for AI

Move to Silver/Gold tier deployment

10-19

Needs Work

Consider Bronze tier first

0-9

Foundation First

Focus on M365 hardening

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