HIPAA policies for solo therapists in New Jersey

What federal law requires of every New Jersey practice

The HIPAA Security Rule (45 CFR § 164.316) requires written policies covering ten domains: designated privacy and security officials, risk analysis, workforce sanctions, access management, audit controls, contingency planning, breach notification, business associate agreements, workforce training, and device and media security. Policies must be retained for six years, carry effective dates, and be updated when your practice or the rules change.

What New Jersey adds

The New Jersey Data Privacy Act treats health data as sensitive personal data, and N.J.A.C. professional-board rules for LPCs, LCSWs, and LMFTs impose recordkeeping and confidentiality obligations that policies should reflect.

The practical standard: adopted, dated, versioned

Regulators don't ask whether you own policy documents — they ask for the policy in effect on a given date, with its adoption record and revision history. A static template pack can't answer that. A policy set with attestations, effective dates, and version history can.