Your Workspace
A locked laptop in an unlocked office is half a safeguard. This chapter is about the room around the device — who else is in that space, and what happens when you step away. The physical layer is what protects against the cleaner, the family member who needs the printer, the client who shows up early.
Why this chapter exists, in plain English
In Ch 2 we talked about the device itself — the laptop, the phone, the encryption that protects what’s on them. This chapter is about the room around the device. Where does the work actually happen? Who else is in that space? When you step away — for a coffee, for the day, for a two-week break — what happens to the space you just left?
A locked laptop in an unlocked office is half a safeguard. So is a tidy, encrypted laptop sitting in a room other people walk through, with today’s intake form still out on the desk. The physical side isn’t a technicality — it’s the part that protects you against the everyday stuff: the cleaner who comes Tuesdays, the family member who needs the printer, the client who shows up early and wanders into the consult room.
HIPAA’s rules for the physical space come down to four plain things, and all of them fit a solo or small practice: who can physically get into the space, what you do at your computer, what other people can see on your screen, and what happens to paper when you’re done with it. None of these are about the network. All of them are about the room.
Setup
Where do you see clients or work with their information? Pick every one.
Telehealth-only practices: the rules in this chapter still apply to the room you run sessions from. Add the home office (or wherever) so we can walk it through too.
Where you stand
Not quite there yet
Map at least one workspace above to begin.