This is a letter no healthcare organization wants to send. But remember — breaches of protected health information (PHI) can still occur despite the best safeguards. When it happens, it is much easier to have a sample HIPAA breach notification letter on hand, rather than trying to create one in the moment.
This blog post offers a quick overview of the requirements as well as tips for crafting a clear, informative, and compliant breach notification letter. If you want to skip right to the sample HIPAA breach notification letter, here’s a link to both a ready-to-use HIPAA Breach Notification Policy and sample letter to patients.
Whether you are preparing for a potential incident or responding to a current breach, these insights will help you navigate the complexities of HIPAA breach notifications with confidence.
A HIPAA breach notification letter is a formal communication sent by a healthcare organization or its business associates to individuals whose protected health information (PHI) has been compromised due to a security incident or breach. The purpose of the letter is to inform affected individuals about the nature and extent of the breach, what specific information was involved, what actions are being taken to address the situation, and provide contact information.
Covered entities and business associates must provide notification to affected individuals if the breach involves unsecured protected health information, as defined in guidance from HSS . A risk assessment should be conducted to determine the probability that the PHI has been compromised. If there is low probability, notification may not be required. There are a number of exceptions to the notification requirement, so healthcare organizations should review these carefully on a case-by-case basis.
The goal of the HIPAA breach notification letter is to demonstrate transparency, maintain trust, and help affected individuals take appropriate actions to protect themselves from potential adverse effects. The following five items must be included:
