
Who’s Looking at Patient Records? Access Logs Tell All
September 15, 2025 In your practice, everyone plays an important role. From receptionists handling schedules to doctors delivering care, ensure every team member knows their role and is empowered to act on it. Role-based privileges, which dictate who has access to what information, are also part of assigning roles in your practice. For example, while your receptionist might have access to a patient’s contact information to confirm an appointment, a doctor would have access to X-rays to assist in treatment plans. Without clear boundaries, your practice risks HIPAA violations. For example, it’s a major compliance breach if Beth from accounting looks at a patient’s sensitive health records. That’s where access logs come into play. HIPAA Access logs are key to ensuring that Protected Health Information (PHI) is kept secure. What is an HIPAA Access Log? As the name suggests, HIPAA access logs account for who, when, and for how long a staff member is utilizing a specific software. Your EHR or EMR will keep a running log when staff access information. Your practice must maintain access logs for six years. That’s why it’s so essential for every staff member to have an individual login when using your practice’s systems. Your practice’s HIPAA Compliance Officer (HCO) must routinely monitor access to PHI. Staff must know their responsibilities and the consequences of exploiting access to health records. The OCR takes these exposures very seriously. Earlier this year, a health organization was fined $800,000 due to unauthorized access to health records. The number of exposed patients? One. The patient became aware of this breach and reported the organization to the OCR. An access log is imperative for monitoring unauthorized third-party access, such as hackers, in addition to ensuring staff follow their role-based responsibilities. Healthcare records can often be compromised, and no one realizes it until it’s too late. Cyberattacks happen to organizations of all sizes. In fact, after the multi-billion-dollar breach, investigators found that hackers had infiltrated Change Healthcare’s systems and gone undetected for over a week. Stay Logged In Clear roles and HIPAA access logs aren’t just paperwork; they’re vital for the success of your practice. Your practice must train and empower staff on their responsibilities and investigate when things seem fishy. It only takes one slip-up, even just one patient’s records, to be exposed by impermissible access and caught in the OCR’s crosshairs. With the right software solution, your practice can streamline training, documentation, and logs within a centralized compliance hub. Smart software gives your team the tools to succeed and makes compliance completely doable. Meet with an expert today to learn more about simplifying HIPAA compliance for your practice.