FQHCs and HIPAA Security Risk Assessments

Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs) are required under the HIPAA Security Rule to conduct regular Security Risk Assessments (SRAs) to safeguard electronic protected health information (e-PHI). This blog explains what an SRA is, why it’s essential for compliance, and how community health centers can complete one effectively. Learn how to identify where e-PHI is stored, assess risks and vulnerabilities, evaluate current safeguards, and document findings using best-practice frameworks such as NIST SP 800-30 and SP 800-66. The post also offers practical steps to turn assessment results into actionable security improvements. Conducting an annual SRA not only helps maintain compliance with the U.S. Office for Civil Rights (OCR) but also strengthens data protection and patient trust.