Free HIPAA Compliance Tools for Independent Practices — and the Platform That Powers What Comes Next
- Patient Protect Editorial Team
- Nov 5
- 5 min read
Building a Safer Future for Small Healthcare Providers
Most independent healthcare practices aren’t short on integrity — they’re short on infrastructure. HIPAA compliance has become too complex, too expensive, and too time-consuming for smaller organizations to manage alone. Yet every clinic, therapy office, and dental practice carries the same legal and ethical responsibility to safeguard patient data.
Patient Protect was founded to change that.
Our mission is to democratize HIPAA compliance by giving every provider, regardless of budget, access to the same caliber of tools used by enterprise systems. We start with public, free resources that raise awareness and build readiness — and we scale seamlessly into a secure, automated platform that manages compliance for you.
Because protecting patient privacy isn’t just a regulation. It’s a responsibility we all share.
The Free Tools: Open Access, Real Impact
Each free tool is built as a standalone, low-friction web resource that does not manage or store ePHI. They draw on the same research, threat modeling, and compliance frameworks that inform the Patient Protect platform, but they are intentionally separated from in-platform workflows and infrastructure.
That design choice keeps the tools simple, fast to use, and safe as a starting point for any provider who wants to understand their risk and begin closing compliance gaps.
Free Resource | Purpose & Impact |
Benchmark your compliance posture in minutes. Receive a readiness score and next-step guidance — no login required. | |
Explore live OCR breach data to understand where and how incidents happen. Awareness is the first layer of defense. | |
Model the 10-year financial impact of a potential breach. Built from our Economics of ePHI Exposure research. | |
Visualize how patient data moves through your systems and vendors. Identify hidden vulnerabilities and exposure points. | |
HIPAA Compliance Checklist / Roadmap | A step-by-step implementation roadmap across all HIPAA rules — Privacy, Security, and Breach Notification. |
Quickly determine whether you’re a Covered Entity, Business Associate, or Hybrid Entity under HIPAA. | |
AI-powered aggregation of the latest HIPAA, privacy, and cybersecurity developments. | |
Access open-source whitepapers and data models that quantify breach risk and regulatory exposure. | |
Download free policy templates, BAAs, and checklists for immediate operational use. |
These tools exist to level the playing field. They give small and mid-sized providers clarity, data, and direction — all without cost, logins, or commitment.
The Platform: Turning Awareness Into Automation
While the free resources help you understand what needs to be done, the Patient Protect platform handles how it gets done.It’s a secure, cloud-based environment where risk assessments, training, documentation, and vendor compliance live in one place — continuously monitored and always up to date.
Category | Feature | Free (Public Tools) | In-Platform Basic ($39/mo) | In-Platform Pro ($99/mo) |
Core Communication | Secure Messaging | — | Advanced messaging workflows, templates, and full audit history | Advanced messaging workflows, templates, and full audit history |
Intake & Workflow | Digital Forms | Downloadable templates in Resource Hub | — | Secure digital patient forms and structured storage |
Care Coordination | Smart Referrals | — | Encrypted referral network with complete audit chain and analytics | Encrypted referral network with complete audit chain and analytics |
Workforce Readiness | Staff Training | Free guides and checklists | — | Full training library (20+ modules), custom courses, certification history |
Identity & Permissions | Access Management | — | Role-based access control | Role-based access control |
Records & Documentation | Record Management | Manual via templates | Automated retention, tagging, and audit-ready exports | Automated retention, tagging, and audit-ready exports |
Security Signals | Security Alerts | Breach trends via public dashboard | In-app alerts for configuration and activity issues | In-app alerts for configuration and activity issues |
Auditing | ePHI Audits | Context awareness via Data Flow Mapper | Full ePHI audit trails, exportable for OCR or insurer review | Full ePHI audit trails, exportable for OCR or insurer review |
Risk Analytics | Risk Scoring | Informal score in self-assessment | Advanced scoring by system, vendor, and user | Advanced scoring by system, vendor, and user |
Risk Overview | Risk Dashboard | National OCR Breach Dashboard | Unified compliance dashboard with tasks and scores | Unified compliance dashboard with tasks and scores |
Daily Execution | Daily Tasks | Manual checklist tracking | Risk-weighted task engine that reprioritizes automatically | Risk-weighted task engine that reprioritizes automatically |
System Health | Live Diagnostics | — | Continuous diagnostics with trend view and recommendations | Continuous diagnostics with trend view and recommendations |
Intelligence | Curated News | Public LLM-curated feed | Relevant news embedded in dashboard | Relevant news embedded in dashboard |
Assessment | HIPAA Assessment | Free 5-minute external self-assessment | Full SRA with saved history | NIST-aligned SRA across locations with audit exports |
Breach Intelligence | Breach Dashboard | Public OCR data tool | Predictive breach modeling and peer comparison | Predictive breach modeling and peer comparison |
Scanning | Platform Scanner / HIPAA Risk Calculator | Public breach cost calculator | Configuration scan of your vendor map | Deep configuration scanning and predictive scenario modeling |
Data Flow | ePHI Risk Mapping | Public flow mapper | Saved maps integrated with vendors | Continuous monitoring with alerts on risky pathways |
Templates & Resources | Resource Hub Assets | Free downloads | Version-controlled copies in dashboard | Template of policies, review, and sign-off tracking |
Support | Support & Guidance | Blog, FAQs, resource center | Standard email support | Priority support and dedicated compliance advisor |
How the Three Tiers Work Together
Free Layer → Awareness Anyone can assess risk, learn from real data, and start documenting compliance today.
Basic Plan → Activation Practices turn insight into action. Everything lives in one dashboard with daily tasks, reminders, and secure storage.
Pro Plan → Automation Larger practices or multi-site groups get predictive analytics, AI-assisted documentation, and continuous monitoring — a living compliance program that runs itself.
Together, they create a seamless on-ramp from education to execution.
Why Democratizing Compliance Matters
Compliance shouldn’t depend on a budget line.Independent healthcare providers make up nearly half of the U.S. care ecosystem — yet most lack the resources to deploy enterprise-grade security. That gap now exceeds $164 billion in unmet infrastructure need.
Patient Protect is closing that gap by transforming complex regulations into accessible technology. Each free tool we release, each dashboard we build, pushes the industry closer to a future where every provider can operate securely, confidently, and sustainably.
Start Where You Are
Whether you’re exploring your first self-assessment or ready to automate your entire compliance program, the path begins the same way — with access.
Because the cost of compliance shouldn’t be what stops you from protecting your patients.
Disclaimer
The free tools and resources provided by Patient Protect are intended solely for educational and informational purposes. Use of these tools does not constitute legal advice, create an attorney-client or consultant relationship, or guarantee HIPAA compliance. While Patient Protect strives for accuracy and reliability, results, interpretations, and recommendations derived from these tools are provided as-is without warranty or liability. Users remain solely responsible for verifying all compliance requirements applicable to their organization and for implementing appropriate safeguards consistent with federal and state law.
