Why does a HIPAA Violation Matter?

First and most important, HIPAA is in place in order to protect the privacy of your patients and ensure their total safety. If their PHI was stolen or revealed due to your negligence, you have compromised the integrity of your facility and the safety of one of your patients. Additionally, you are looking at potential financial ramifications.

Patients will be less likely to trust you and your ability to keep their information safe, meaning your patient numbers could go down.
If you underwent an OSHA audit and were found to be noncompliant, you could be subject to any number of OSHA fines.
The patient whose information was compromised could take legal action against your facility.