A HIPAA risk assessment checklist helps a deal team organize evidence about risks to electronic protected health information. Checks inside the target need authorized access and appropriate BAA arrangements before sensitive information is reviewed. Record the evidence, owner and unresolved questions for each task. Not legal advice; legal questions go to counsel.
In short
- Use the visible checklist to organize scope, evidence, risks and follow-up for a healthcare target.
- HIPAA checks inside the target need authorized access and appropriate agreements before protected data is reviewed.
- This is a working evidence checklist, not legal advice or a conclusion that the target complies.
The HIPAA risk assessment checklist.
Copy these tasks into the working review and preserve the area and access labels. The checklist organizes evidence requests; it does not replace the target’s risk analysis or establish compliance.
Agree the review scope, written authorization and permitted evidence handling with the target. Put an appropriate BAA in place before reviewing protected data where the review creates a business associate relationship.
Request the inventory of systems and vendors that create, receive, maintain or transmit electronic protected health information. Map the information flows using authorized records.
Request the current risk analysis, its supporting evidence and unresolved findings. Record which systems and information flows the analysis covers and where evidence is missing.
Review documented threats, vulnerabilities and existing safeguards with the authorized security owner. Keep unverified concerns separate from supported findings.
Record the likelihood and impact assessment for each supported risk, with its evidence and the reasoning behind the assessment.
Request evidence of access controls, staff access changes, recovery arrangements and vendor responsibilities within the agreed scope. Do not infer control effectiveness from public website behavior.
Assign an owner to each proposed response, record the next evidence request and flag legal questions for counsel. Keep missing records open rather than treating them as failed controls.
Source: Meo Advisors checklist. As of October 2026.
This checklist supports compliance due diligence. It is not legal advice. Counsel determines which requirements and agreements apply to the target and the proposed review.
What are the 5 things a risk assessment should include?
For this working checklist, use five parts: scope, evidence, risk assessment, response and review. These are organizing fields for diligence, not a prescribed legal list or a substitute for the target’s complete HIPAA risk analysis.
| Part | What to record |
|---|---|
| Scope | Systems and information flows in scope, permissions and evidence-handling limits |
| Evidence | The authorized record, source, observation date and unresolved request |
| Risk assessment | The supported threat or vulnerability, existing safeguards, likelihood and impact |
| Response | The proposed action, accountable owner and counsel question |
| Review | The evidence needed to verify the response and revisit the assessment |
The official HIPAA risk analysis guidance addresses risks to the confidentiality, integrity and availability of electronic protected health information. Use the risk register template to preserve each finding’s evidence and owner.
How should a deal team use this checklist?
Start by agreeing the acquisition question, the systems in scope and who can authorize the review. Copy the tasks, assign owners and request the least sensitive evidence that can resolve each question.
- Agree written authorization, access boundaries and evidence handling before internal checks start.
- Request the relevant risk analysis and system records through the authorized target contact.
- Attach evidence and an owner to supported findings; record missing evidence as an open request.
- Send legal questions to counsel and confirm how proposed fixes will be verified.
The HIPAA risk assessment service explains the review boundary and the evidence it can produce.
Which HIPAA checklist items need authorized access?
The target’s risk analysis, system inventory, information flows, safeguards and internal records need authorized access. Public pages can suggest questions, but they cannot establish whether the target’s HIPAA safeguards operate effectively.
Which HIPAA items need a BAA before review?
Where the reviewer will create, receive, maintain or transmit protected health information on the target’s behalf as a business associate, put an appropriate BAA in place before that review. Confirm the relationship and permitted use with counsel; a BAA does not replace written authorization or access controls.
See the official business associate guidance. Use de-identified evidence where suitable and keep protected data out of an unrestricted diligence document.
How can I copy or save the HIPAA checklist?
The full checklist is visible in HTML. Select and copy it into your authorized working document, or use your browser’s print command to save the page as a PDF.
Keep the access labels and add evidence, status, owner and counsel questions. The private equity due diligence checklist connects the findings to the broader review. Use the ADA website compliance checklist for a separate review of public accessibility evidence.
Meo Advisors Editorial writes and maintains this page. Its numbers are Meo Advisors’ own statements or cited external benchmarks, and every mock is labelled Illustrative. See the editorial policy and corrections process.