Long Island HIPAA Privacy Security Lawyer

Experienced HIPAA Privacy Security Attorney in Long Island, NY

The goal of both HIPAA privacy and security rules is to protect all individuals’ data when used within a healthcare system, as this information is shared between healthcare providers, medical personnel, and pharmacies. It is also stored in a variety of data centers. Healthcare providers in New York benefit from having a Long Island HIPAA privacy security lawyer, such as one from Weiss Zarett Brofman Sonnenklar & Levy, P.C., to advise them.

HIPAA and Compliance

HIPAA, or the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, protects data from misuse when an unauthorized user breaches an entity’s security system. New HIPAA changes are coming, meaning new regulations for compliance, including adopting multi-factor authentication (MFA) throughout, along with additional protections for substance abuse and reproductive information. In 2026, compliance with HIPAA is an ongoing concern.

Compliance rules are changing and becoming stricter. Having a Long Island HIPAA privacy security attorney on your side can provide you with legal guidance and asset protection. For example, an attorney may manage all vendor contracts that a health provider works with, like IT management services, cloud providers, and data centers. Managing vendor contracts can prevent you from facing HIPAA liability from third-party breaches.

HIPAA Privacy Standards

HIPAA privacy rules set nationwide data protection standards that apply to healthcare providers, personnel, and healthcare systems. These are intended to protect individual patient medical record data. Every medical record for a patient contains PHI (protected health information). PHI contains personal data that can be used to identify a person or conduct fraud.

The rule requires that effective and advanced security is in place when sharing electronic or any other form of patient data between:

• Health insurers
• Healthcare providers
• Pharmacies
• Healthcare systems
• Any other entity with which a medical record can be shared to improve health coverage or care

Patients can choose whether to share data with providers.

HIPAA Security Standards

The HIPAA security rule focuses on the cybersecurity technology used to safeguard patients’ medical health data. Electronic personal health information (ePHI) must be protected during and after transmission as well as during storage. The security rule specifies the administrative, physical, and technological safeguards that all healthcare providers and systems must follow to protect ePHI.

Together, the HIPAA privacy and security rules are governed by the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS). Together with the breach notification rules, they protect the security and privacy of patient data used within the overall healthcare industry.

Why Choose Weiss Zarett Brofman Sonnenklar & Levy, P.C.?

A HIPAA privacy and security lawyer from Weiss Zarett Brofman Sonnenklar & Levy, P.C., understands New York HIPAA regulations that impact healthcare businesses, including provider practices. Our firm’s goal is to address each client’s healthcare law concerns across the industry spectrum. We have the knowledge and experience in Long Island to help you with complex legal challenges, including those relating to HIPAA.

HIPAA Penalties and Healthcare Data Breaches

As of December 31, 2025, roughly 57 million patients experienced a healthcare breach in the U.S. In the same year, private healthcare providers were found to be responsible for 75.6% of patient data breaches. That’s a lot of breached data for patients, along with a massive set of potential regulatory compliance fines for healthcare providers.

Businesses that violate HIPAA rules face annual penalties in the following four tiers:

• Tier 1 is $145 to $73,011 per violation.
• Tier 2 is $1,461 to 73,011 per violation.
• Tier 3 is $14,602 to73,011 per violation.
• Tier 4 is $73,011 to $2,190,294 per violation.

Per violation means per record breached. In 2025, healthcare breaches remain the costliest over the past decade, averaging $7.42 million.

HIPAA Checklist to Improve Compliance

A HIPAA checklist can let you understand where in your business HIPAA regulations apply. That way, you can avoid penalties for non-compliance. The following is a basic checklist to verify whether your business is HIPAA compliant:

• Designate a HIPAA Privacy Officer to be responsible for the development and implementation of HIPAA-compliant policies and business processes.
• Understand PHI and how it is used in your company, including when a patient’s authorization is required.
• Identify system and process risks when handling PHI data.
• Develop policies and work procedures that minimize the risk of disclosure and prevent violations.
• Develop policies and procedures for obtaining authorizations from individuals when sharing PHI data.
• Develop and train employees on Notice of Privacy Practices that explain how the company uses and discloses PHI.
• Develop procedures for managing patient access requests to PHI stored in your systems.
• Develop processes for employees to report HIPAA violations or data breaches that increase the response time for notification.
• Keep up to date on training all relevant employees in HIPAA compliance.
• Develop a sanctions policy if employees or business partners fail to maintain HIPAA compliance.
• Verify all business contracts involving PHI data and HIPAA compliance.
• Create a contingency plan for managing a data breach or any other security incident involving PHI data.
• Schedule regular audits to verify compliance levels.

The checklist requires frequent updates as HIPAA needs change or regulatory requirements are updated. Be certain to review all compliance needs with your business attorney, or hire a HIPAA privacy security lawyer for legal guidance and assistance.

Recent Changes to NY Specific HIPAA Regulations

As of February 16, 2026, all HIPAA-covered entities on Long Island, NY, must have updated their Notice of Privacy Practices to comply with new regulations. The new regulations have made substance use disorder (SUD) records required for HIPAA compliance. Additionally, MFA is a requirement for data in transit, all ePHI data must be encrypted, and data breaches must be reported sooner.

Vulnerability scanning is required on all ePHI data on a regular basis. Long Island hospitals must maintain a dedicated CISO to manage cybersecurity, perform annual penetration testing, and report data breaches within a specific number of hours. Reproductive health data has also increased limitations on exposure.

In New York, if you need HIPAA information or support for HIPAA privacy security laws, contact the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, Office of Civil Rights, at the Jacob Javits Federal Building, 26 Federal Plaza in New York City.

Hire a HIPAA Privacy Security Lawyer

Hire a HIPAA privacy security lawyer if you have a HIPAA privacy security case, have been charged with non-compliance, or are looking for experienced legal guidance to manage HIPAA or other healthcare industry concerns. We have over 30 years of experience in healthcare laws. Weiss Zarett Brofman Sonnenklar & Levy, P.C., has lawyers you can trust to manage all your HIPAA needs. Contact us today to learn more.