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Are Google Forms HIPAA Compliant?

Picture of Form Vessel By  Form Vessel  ·  1 minute read

This article explains why Google Forms should not be used for healthcare data and what HIPAA requires from online forms.

What HIPAA Requires for Online Forms

The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) sets rules for handling protected health information (PHI). PHI is any information that can identify a patient, combined with details about their health, treatment, or payment for care.

When you collect PHI online through a form, HIPAA requires:

  • A Business Associate Agreement (BAA) with any third-party service handling PHI. Without this contract, the service cannot be used.

  • Encryption in transit and at rest so patient data is secure.

  • Access controls so only authorized staff can see submissions.

  • Audit logs that track who accessed or modified data.

The BAA is the first requirement. Without it, technical safeguards are irrelevant.

 

Why Google Forms Fails HIPAA Compliance

Google Forms is a general survey tool. By default, it is not designed for sensitive healthcare use.

Here are the main issues:

  1. No BAA Offered
    Google will not sign a HIPAA Business Associate Agreement for Google Forms. This alone disqualifies the tool for PHI.

  2. Limited security controls
    Even if a BAA were available, Google Forms lacks the full access restrictions, audit logging, and role-based permissions required under HIPAA.

  3. No audit trail
    There is no record of who accessed data or when. This is a compliance gap.

  4. Risk of misconfiguration
    Forms can easily be shared by link. If a link is forwarded or access settings are wrong, PHI can be exposed.

 

What to Use Instead

Healthcare providers need a form solution built for HIPAA compliance. That means:

  • A signed Business Associate Agreement

  • Built-in encryption, access controls, and audit logging

  • Protection against accidental data sharing

Form Vessel provides exactly that. It is a drag-and-drop form builder designed for HIPAA-compliant patient data collection. Every submission is encrypted, logged, and protected under a BAA.

 

Key Takeaway

Google Forms is not HIPAA compliant and cannot be used to collect PHI.
The lack of a BAA is disqualifying. On top of that, security and compliance features are insufficient.

Check out Form Vessel for a HIPAA-Compliant solution instead!