HIPAA Compliance for Clinics in Massachusetts

Massachusetts clinics must comply with federal HIPAA plus state-specific regulations. Here's what you need to know.

HIPAA is federal law, but Massachusetts has additional requirements. You need to comply with both federal HIPAA and Massachusetts-specific regulations.

Federal HIPAA Requirements

All Massachusetts clinics must comply with:

• HIPAA Privacy Rule
• HIPAA Security Rule
• HIPAA Breach Notification Rule
• All 9 required policies
• Risk assessment
• Staff training
• Business Associate Agreements (BAAs)

See our Complete HIPAA Compliance Guide for federal requirements.

Massachusetts-Specific Requirements

1. State Breach Notification

Requirements:

• Notify patients within 60 days (same as HIPAA)
• Notify Massachusetts Attorney General for breaches affecting 500+ residents
• Additional notification requirements

HIPAA requirement: 60 days Massachusetts requirement: 60 days (same as HIPAA)

You must comply with both requirements.

Massachusetts HIPAA Compliance Checklist

1. Federal HIPAA Compliance

• All 9 required policies
• Risk assessment
• Staff training
• BAAs in place
• Documentation organized

2. Massachusetts-Specific Compliance

• Massachusetts-specific breach notification procedures
• Massachusetts-specific patient rights documented

3. Breach Notification

• Procedures for 60-day notification
• Massachusetts Attorney General notification procedures
• Documentation of breach response

How to Get Compliant

Step 1: Achieve Federal HIPAA Compliance

• Complete all federal HIPAA requirements
• See our Complete HIPAA Compliance Guide

Step 2: Add Massachusetts-Specific Requirements

• Review Massachusetts state requirements
• Update breach notification procedures
• Update patient consent forms

Step 3: Update Policies

• Add Massachusetts-specific requirements to policies
• Update breach notification policy
• Update patient rights documentation

Step 4: Train Staff

• Initial HIPAA training
• Massachusetts-specific training
• Breach notification training
• Document all training

Step 5: Organize Documentation

• Federal HIPAA documentation
• Massachusetts-specific documentation
• Breach notification procedures
• Version control

HIPAA Hub for Massachusetts Clinics

What you get:

• ✅ All 9 required HIPAA policies (customizable for Massachusetts)
• ✅ Massachusetts-specific policy templates
• ✅ Breach notification procedures
• ✅ Risk assessment tool
• ✅ Staff training modules
• ✅ Evidence vault (organize all documentation)
• ✅ $499/year

Value: Complete compliance (federal + Massachusetts) without hiring a compliance officer ($50-100k/year).

Get Your Massachusetts HIPAA Compliance Checklist

Download the complete checklist with Massachusetts-specific requirements:

Related Resources

• Complete HIPAA Compliance Guide
• HIPAA Breach Notification Requirements
• HIPAA Audit Checklist

---

This guide is based on OCR enforcement data, HIPAA regulations, and Massachusetts state laws. For personalized compliance guidance, consider using HIPAA Hub.