HIPAA Forms vs. Regular Forms: What’s the Actual Difference?

A regular online form and a HIPAA compliant form may both be forms that collect information, but they do not collect the same information and certainly do not have the same consequences. One is a tool for collecting basic information. The other collects medical related information that is governed by federal law. The latter is a HIPAA compliant form.

If you collect health-related information from US users, like names with symptoms, insurance card numbers, social security numbers, medical history reports, or more, all of these are required to be HIPAA compliant.
 

In this article we explain: 

-  What’s the actually difference between a HIPAA and regular form
- What exactly is HIPAA Compliance
- What is a HIPAA Compliant Form
- Consequences of HIPAA non compliance in forms

What Is a Regular Online Form?

A regular online form is what most websites use to collect basic information. Think:

• Contact forms
• Newsletter sign-ups
• Feedback surveys
• Event registrations

These forms typically collect non-sensitive data, such as:

• Name
• Email address
• Phone number
• General preferences

But the second you add form fields like medical symptoms, medical history, diagnoses, medical insurance ID, along with these, you have crossed over to HIPAA territory. So let’s get into it, in simple terms, what is HIPAA.

What is HIPAA

HIPAA or the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act is a federal law that sets rules for how Protected Health Information or PHI is collected, stored, shared, and protected. It exists to make sure that personal medical information doesn’t get exposed, misused, or accessed by the wrong people.

If a piece of information can:

1. Identify a person and
2. Reveal something about their health

HIPAA says it must be handled in a secure and privacy-first way. So when someone fills out a medical form online HIPAA determines:

• Who is allowed to see that data
• How it must be protected
• What happens if it’s mishandled

These rules set by HIPAA are what turn a regular organization, and a regular form, into a HIPAA compliant one.

What do the HIPAA Rules Need You To do 

HIPAA is enforced through a set of rules that define how health information or PHI must be handled. At a high level, they require organizations to do three core things:

1. Privacy Rule

This rule controls who is allowed to access health information and why.

It requires you to: 

• Use patient data only for legitimate healthcare purposes
• Limit access to only authorized people
• Avoid unnecessary sharing of health information

In simple terms: not everyone should be able to see patient data, even inside your organization.

2. Security Rule

This rule focuses on how health data is protected, especially in digital systems. It requires safeguards such as:

• Secure data storage
• Controlled access to systems
• Protection against unauthorized access or breaches

For online forms, this is what separates a regular form from a HIPAA compliant form builder.

3. Breach Notification Rule

This rule defines what you must do if patient data is exposed. It requires organizations to:

• Identify and assess data breaches
• Notify affected individuals
• Report serious breaches to authorities

HIPAA doesn’t just care about prevention, it also mandates accountability when things go wrong.

How Do These HIPAA Rules Apply to Online Forms?

When a form collects health-related information, it becomes part of your HIPAA compliance responsibilities. This means the form must:

• Restrict who can access submissions
• Protect data while it’s being submitted and stored
• Ensure health information isn’t exposed, shared, or misused

Here comes the MOST IMPORTANT part, a regular online form builder is not designed for this. It may collect the data, but it does not enforce privacy controls, security safeguards, or accountability.

A HIPAA compliant form builder, like MakeForms, on the other hand, goes through a multitude of compliance certifications to be HIPAA compliant. Security rules like how data is captured, where it’s stored, who can see it, and how breaches are handled are built into the software. 

What Happens If Your Forms Are Not HIPAA Compliant?
 

• Regulatory penalties
  HIPAA violations can result in significant financial fines, depending on the severity and whether negligence is involved.

• Legal exposure
  Organizations may face lawsuits or legal action if patient data is mishandled or exposed.

   

• Mandatory breach notifications
  If a non-compliant form leads to a data breach, apart from fines and criminal charges, you may be legally required to notify affected individuals and regulatory authorities, often within strict timelines.

Regular Forms vs. HIPAA compliant Forms: A Quick Summary
 

A regular online form collects information and sends it from point A to point B. That’s where its responsibility ends. A HIPAA compliant form is built for data collection and accountability. It is designed to protect health information at every stage, during submission, storage, access, and use, under strict legal rules.
 

Regular Forms vs. HIPAA compliant Forms
 

Build HIPAA compliant Forms with MakeForms

Now that you know the difference between regular forms and HIPAA compliant forms, it’s time to get into action! If your forms collect protected health information, you need a HIPAA compliant form builder right now. 

MakeForms is a HIPAA compliant online form builder designed to securely collect, store, and manage health data in line with HIPAA requirements. It has privacy and security safeguards directly at the software level, helping you protect patient information while meeting regulatory obligations.

If your forms handle health-related data, use MakeForms to create HIPAA compliant forms and stay compliant from the moment data is collected.