HIPAA policies for solo therapists in Washington

What federal law requires of every Washington 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 Washington adds

Washington's My Health My Data Act is the strictest consumer health-data law in the country, with a private right of action. It exempts PHI covered by HIPAA but reaches website data, marketing, and intake funnels — Washington practices should review their public-facing data flows, not just clinical records.

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.