Why Your Website Forms Probably Aren’t HIPAA Compliant

When healthcare providers think about HIPAA compliance, they usually picture medical records systems or patient portals. What often gets overlooked is the simplest part of your website: the contact forms. If those forms collect patient information, they fall under HIPAA. In most cases, the forms you are using right now are not compliant.

This article explains the most common ways web forms put organizations at risk and what HIPAA actually requires.

1. Standard Contact Forms Aren’t Built for HIPAA

Popular form tools like WordPress plugins, Google Forms, or website builders such as Wix and Squarespace are designed for convenience, not compliance. They do not encrypt submissions properly, they do not control where data is stored, and they do not sign the required Business Associate Agreement (BAA).

Even if your website looks professional, if it is running on standard forms it is already non-compliant.

2. Encryption Is Missing in Transit and at Rest

HIPAA requires that Protected Health Information (PHI) is encrypted both when it is moving across the internet and when it is stored. Most forms fail on both counts:

• Submissions are often sent as plain email that can be intercepted

• Many tools save form data in unencrypted databases on web servers that are not configured to meet HIPAA requirements

If your form is transmitting or storing data without encryption, that is a direct violation.

3. Submissions Sit in the Wrong Databases

Standard form plugins often dump submission data into your website’s content management system database. That database usually sits on a generic hosting platform that is not structured for HIPAA compliance.

The problem is structural. PHI is stored right next to marketing content, images, and blog posts in a database never designed for sensitive information. That alone creates a compliance failure.

4. No Business Associate Agreement (BAA)

HIPAA requires you to have a signed BAA with any vendor that handles PHI. That agreement legally binds them to manage data in a compliant manner.

Most form providers will not sign one because their infrastructure is not built for HIPAA. Without a BAA, it does not matter how secure the platform appears. Legally, you are non-compliant the moment patient data flows through it.

5. Email Is a Weak Link

Many websites forward form submissions straight to an office inbox. That inbox may be Gmail, Outlook, or even a personal email. Unless you are using a HIPAA compliant email service with encryption and a BAA, you are exposing PHI every time a submission arrives.

Even secure email solutions can fail if the workflow is not fully compliant from form to storage.

6. No Access Controls or Audit Logs

HIPAA requires that you know exactly who accessed PHI and when. That means detailed audit logs and user-level access controls. Standard website forms do not offer either.

If staff can log in to the CMS and casually browse through submissions, or if there is no record of who opened what, your system fails HIPAA’s audit requirements.

7. Data Retention Never Gets Managed

Another overlooked issue is retention. Many form tools store submissions indefinitely in dashboards, CMS databases, or email archives. HIPAA requires that you have clear retention policies and the ability to securely delete PHI.

Old submissions sitting in a WordPress plugin from years ago are a compliance liability.

The Bottom Line

Most healthcare websites with contact or appointment request forms are not HIPAA compliant. The risks are built into the way those forms transmit, store, and manage patient data.

To close those gaps, you need forms designed specifically for HIPAA compliance. That means:

• Encryption in transit and at rest

• Storage on compliant infrastructure

• Signed BAAs with every vendor

• Audit logs and access controls

• Secure retention policies

Form Vessel was built for this purpose. It gives providers a reliable way to collect patient information without violating HIPAA.

Audit your forms today. If you are using standard website tools, you are almost certainly out of compliance. A HIPAA compliant form solution is not optional. It is required.