SELF-CHECK + STRAIGHT COMPARISON · 4-MINUTE READ
Plenty of practices have "an IT person," or a provider they've used for years, and still couldn't say honestly whether they're protected. If you're asking the question, this is for you. If you already love your provider, use it to confirm they're earning it.
THE REAL DIFFERENCE
Most practices don't have "bad" IT - they have reactive IT. It fixes what breaks. The real question is whether anyone is stopping things from breaking in the first place, and whether the protection you're paying for has actually been verified.
| What matters | Reactive / break-fix | Proactive managed (SafePoint IT) |
|---|---|---|
| When they act | ✗After something breaks | ✓Before it breaks - monitored 24/7 |
| Your network | ✗Never fully mapped | ✓Inventoried & reviewed |
| Security | ✗Assumed; rarely verified | ✓Verified installed on every device |
| Backups | ✗"We have them" | ✓Tested recovery, not just storage |
| HIPAA & insurance | ✗Your problem at renewal | ✓Documented and ready |
| Clinical downtime | ✗A normal ticket | ✓Treated as a P1 emergency |
| What it costs you | ✗Hidden - until an incident | ✓Predictable, flat, planned |
10-POINT SELF-CHECK
Answer each one honestly. Verified earns full marks, Think so earns half, and a guess counts as No. Your score updates as you go - we'll total it and flag your gaps at the bottom.
Someone has fully inspected your network in the last 12 months.
Every vendor that touches patient data is under a signed BAA.
Multi-factor authentication is required to sign in.
Access is removed the day a staff member leaves.
Your backups have been tested by actually restoring from them.
You'd be alerted if patient data were accessed improperly.
Your endpoint security is confirmed running on every machine.
Clinical-system outages get emergency-level response.
Your HIPAA SRA is current and reflects today's systems.
One person is clearly accountable for IT & security decisions.
"More than one practice scored themselves well - then learned, on assessment, that the security they were paying for wasn't installed on a third of their machines, and a former IT vendor still had admin access. They weren't careless. Nobody had ever actually checked."
Anonymized from real SafePoint IT findings.
WHAT A REAL LOOK DOES
Every point on that self-check is verifiable, and none of it asks you to become an IT expert. Here's what actually closes the gap between assuming you're protected and knowing it.
A real look starts by inspecting every system, endpoint, cloud tool, and app your team actually uses - not the list you think you have. You cannot protect what no one has mapped, and the surprises almost always live in what was never inventoried.
Confirm endpoint security is truly installed and running on every machine, MFA is enforced, and old admin or former-vendor access is gone. This is where "we have it" and "it's actually working" turn out to be two different things.
Restore from a backup to prove recovery works, and make sure your Security Risk Assessment reflects the systems you run today, with every vendor under a signed BAA. That's the difference between a document on file and evidence you can stand behind at a renewal or audit.
Name a single point of accountability, write down what to fix, who owns it, and when it's due - then keep the picture current as staff, apps, and devices change. Protection isn't a one-time project; it's something you keep proving.
THE BIGGER PICTURE
The 10-point check tells you where you might be exposed. A SafePoint IT Healthcare IT & Infrastructure Assessment checks all of it for real - network, endpoints, vendors, backups, and HIPAA - and hands you a plain-English picture of exactly where your practice stands.
If everything checks out, you'll have the proof in hand. If it doesn't - give us a week, and we'll build the plan to fix it.
This page is general education, not legal or compliance advice. Consult a qualified professional for your practice's specific obligations under HIPAA.
