The Hidden Compliance Risks Most Agencies Miss (and How to Solve Them)

For agencies supporting healthcare clients, compliance is the elephant in the room. It’s not just about good design or strong campaigns — a healthcare website that ignores HIPAA or ADA requirements can expose both the client and the agency to costly risks.

Yet, many agencies unknowingly overlook critical compliance pitfalls.

Risk #1: Insecure Forms & Data Collection

Too often, agencies build forms that aren’t encrypted or store patient data improperly. Even something as simple as an appointment request form can create a HIPAA violation if not handled correctly. Any time a web form prompts a patient to input and submit PHI, it falls under the scope of HIPAA.

Solution: Use secure, compliant form systems like Jotform or Formstack — never send PHI directly through a standard web form and certainly never store PHI directly in the website database.

Risk #2: ADA Accessibility Gaps

From font contrast to screen reader functionality, ADA compliance is a legal requirement, not a “nice-to-have.” Lawsuits around inaccessible healthcare websites have grown rapidly in recent years. And even the use of third party overlays like accessiBe or UserWay doesn't always meet the requirements.

Solution: Bake ADA compliance into your development process. Automated tools help, but manual checks and accessible design standards are non-negotiable.

Risk #3: Third-Party Integrations

Agencies often add live chat, analytics, or scheduling tools without confirming if they’re HIPAA-compliant. A single insecure integration can compromise the whole site. In recent years, HHS guidance on what data points do or do not constitute PHI or IIHI have become increasingly strict and challenging to understand. It's critical that everyone on your team knows exactly what data tracking tools are safe & compliant.

Solution: Vet every integration. Remedy CMS provides healthcare-vetted integration options for scheduling, portals, reputation management, and more.

Why This Matters for Agencies

• Liability: Even if you didn’t build the site, your agency may be named in a compliance-related lawsuit.
• Reputation: Healthcare clients need confidence that their marketing partners understand compliance.
• Retention: Agencies that fail compliance lose clients; agencies that solve compliance keep them.

Takeaway

Compliance is not optional. Agencies that ignore it take on unnecessary risk; agencies that address it head-on become indispensable to their healthcare clients. Partnering with a team that specializes in HIPAA/ADA compliance ensures your campaigns run on safe, sustainable digital foundations.

Protect your agency and your clients. Learn more about Remedy CMS compliance support.