Effective Date: June 3, 2026
At Rochester & Associates, we understand that healthcare practice metrics are bound by strict legal, ethical, and regulatory standards. During the course of operational, financial, or clinical performance audits, we frequently interact with practice management systems, electronic health records (EHR), and billing data.
We are fully committed to maintaining compliance with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) and ensuring the absolute security of all Protected Health Information (PHI).
Our access to your practice metrics is strictly limited to the data necessary to perform the agreed-upon audit or consulting services.
The De-Identification Principle: Wherever possible, we request that practices provide aggregated, anonymized, or de-identified financial and operational metrics.
Minimum Necessary Standard: When direct access to systems containing PHI is required, our consultants strictly adhere to the HIPAA “Minimum Necessary” standard, viewing only the specific data fields required to evaluate practice workflow, billing accuracy, or operational bottlenecks.
To protect your data during the audit process, Rochester & Associates employs robust administrative, physical, and technical safeguards:
Secure Environments: Any data transferred to us is handled via encrypted, HIPAA-compliant cloud storage environments utilizing AES-256 encryption. We prohibit the download or storage of PHI on local or unencrypted devices.
Access Control: Access to your practice systems or exported metrics is restricted solely to the specific consultants assigned to your engagement. Multi-factor authentication (MFA) is strictly enforced for all system access.
Data Destruction: Upon completion of the audit and delivery of final reports, any raw data extracts, temporary sheets, or practice-specific records containing PHI are securely and permanently purged from our systems in accordance with NIST data destruction standards.
Rochester & Associates operates as a Business Associate under HIPAA definitions when handling or exposing our team to PHI.
We require a mutually executed Business Associate Agreement (BAA) to be in place prior to receiving any PHI, gaining remote access to your electronic systems, or beginning any auditing workflows. We are glad to execute your practice’s standard BAA or provide our own vetted template.
While our audits analyze operational and billing metrics to optimize practice performance, Rochester & Associates does not provide medical advice, clinical oversight, or patient care directives. All final clinical and operational decisions remain the sole responsibility of the practice’s licensed providers and management.
