It’s the most wonderful time of the year, but for healthcare professionals, it can also be one of the busiest and riskiest when it comes to patient privacy monitoring and PHI compliance. As hospital volumes climb, staff rotate through PTO, and curious relatives appear in greater numbers, organizations often see seasonal spikes in inappropriate access, accidental disclosures, and compliance lapses.
While you celebrate with family and friends, it is important to stay vigilant with HIPAA policies and ensure your team has the tools and workflows needed to protect patient information. Below are updated tips for 2025 to help keep your organization compliant, supported, and ready for the demands of the season.
Reinforce PHI Protection, Especially When Access Spikes
Protecting PHI is a year-round responsibility, but the holidays create unique challenges.
- During the holidays many departments experience increased patient volume. With more admissions and discharges happening back-to-back, clinical staff may access more charts in less time, which increases the chance of accidental access.
- Insider snooping tends to rise around major holidays. Relatives often check on loved ones or try to confirm whether someone was admitted. Even well-intentioned curiosity violates policy. Automated patient privacy monitoring helps identify this behavior quickly by recognizing patterns tied to curiosity, concern, or carelessness.
- As PTO increases during November and December, privacy teams frequently find themselves short-staffed and juggling higher workloads. This is an ideal time to consider automation, which can help maintain coverage when your team is stretched thin.
Strengthen Defenses Against Ransomware and Cyber Threats
The holiday season has historically been a high-risk period for ransomware attacks because hospitals are overwhelmed and operating with leaner teams.
- Require MFA and strong passwords for all users.
- Educate staff on holiday-themed phishing attempts that mimic shopping confirmations, travel alerts, or donation requests.
- Limit non-clinical browsing on hospital devices. Checking flight schedules, tracking packages, or shopping online can expose networks to malicious links.
Advanced patient privacy monitoring solutions like Haystack™ iS add another layer of protection by identifying unusual access behavior that may indicate compromised credentials.
Review Physical Safeguards and Secure Vulnerable Areas
Just like in Home Alone, the holiday season brings a level of chaos that can make it easier for things to slip through the cracks… Kevin!
Hospitals often experience a noticeable increase in:
- Visitor traffic
- After-hours movement throughout the facility
- Tailgating or unauthorized access
- Staff who may be distracted or rushing between units
With so much happening at once, this is an ideal time to revisit your physical security policies and confirm that your safeguards match your organization’s current risk profile. For facilities still storing legacy EHR data on old hardware, it’s also important to remember that outdated servers create physical security risks in addition to digital ones. Migrating legacy EHR data into a secure, modern environment helps protect PHI and supports long-term data retention.
Manage Visitors and Guests with Clear Protocols
Just like the crowds that fill retail stores around the holidays, hospitals see a similar increase in foot traffic. With families visiting patients, delivery services dropping off packages, and vendors making end-of-year rounds, privacy risks can quickly multiply. Remember to:
- Document and badge all visitors.
- Escort guests when appropriate.
- Limit access to restricted areas.
- Remind staff not to discuss PHI in shared spaces like hallways or elevators.
Even small lapses can lead to preventable privacy incidents.
Stay Protected, Stay Compliant, and Enjoy the Season
Whether you are managing increased patient traffic, reduced staffing, or higher privacy risks, remember that HIPAA compliance does not take a holiday. Preparing your organization with strong policies, clear communication, and reliable monitoring helps ensure both staff and patients enjoy a safer and more secure season.
If you are exploring ways to enhance your privacy program, Haystack iS offers AI-driven monitoring that identifies inappropriate access early and eases the strain on privacy teams through efficient automation.
For more information on how our patient privacy monitoring can support your organization, contact us at info@iatric.com or click the ‘Request a Meeting’ button below.