Is Microsoft Forms HIPAA Compliant?

Is Microsoft Forms really HIPAA-compliant? Let’s clear up the confusion.

If you are here you are probably questioning yourself: Can I use Microsoft Forms for collecting sensitive healthcare data? Is it actually HIPAA-compliant?

And let me tell you - Your confusion is 100% valid.

If you are in the health industry you know the seriousness of dealing with PROTECTED HEALTH INFORMATION (PHI). You can’t just assume a tool is HIPAA-compliant just because it’s widely used.

Think about it. Every time you fill out a survey, be it health, medical history, or treatment experience you trust the platform and share your opinion. But what happens if your data isn’t protected?

Failing to protect survey responses isn’t just a compliance issue. It breaks the trust of respondents and leads to legal issues, reputation damage, and severe penalties. And that’s why HIPAA-compliant secure survey tools are not just optional - but essential. 

Now let’s dive into the discussion.

Is Microsoft Forms HIPAA Compliant?

Under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), If you handle PHI you have to strictly safeguard and prevent unauthorized access, data breaches, and compliance violations.

Is it possible to get a BAA from Microsoft?

Getting a Business Associate Agreement (BAA) from Microsoft isn’t as simple as you might think. Imagine you are thinking your data is protected, only to find out that the agreement meant to secure it is not trustworthy.

Microsoft claims that Forms is an in-scope service and is HIPAA-compliant and is covered under their HIPAA(BAA), which is automatically given to eligible customers as part of their data protection terms.

So, Can you rely on Microsoft for HIPAA compliance? And if you do, can you trust it? Let’s break it down with some proof.

Microsoft Forms claims to be HIPAA-compliant but one of the users (healthcare provider) raised a concern on Microsoft community forum saying his current BAA with Microsoft is misleading and erroneous.

He assumed Microsoft Forms was covered under their HIPAA Business Associate Agreement (BAA) since it’s listed as a compliant service under his Microsoft 365 premium account. But it’s potentially not compliant with HIPAA regulations.

This is a huge risk if you are in the healthcare industry. Compliance is not just a checkbox, It’s about real security and legal protections. 

Why take a chance with unclear agreements? When you can use a dedicated HIPAA-compliant survey tool that guarantees full security.

Limitations of Microsoft Forms

The same user discussed one more issue regarding the footer message in MS Forms.

Imagine, you are asking your patients to fill out a survey and they see this message at the bottom stating not to provide personal or sensitive information.

Now, do you think you can collect PHI with this message in the footer below? Won’t they hesitate to share honest and unfiltered answers?

Being a healthcare provider he shares his concern that those statements make the form unusable and no longer HIPAA-compliant.

Microsoft does offer a way to remove this - but here’s the catch. You’ll need to subscribe to one of their more expensive options: a Microsoft Dynamics 365 plan. This upgrade includes Microsoft Forms Pro, which finally lets you edit the footer with a hefty price tag.

Hidden Risks and Compliance Gaps

Now coming back to the compliance part…

Even if you convince yourself that Microsoft Forms is HIPAA compliant, there are still concerns:

Microsoft Forms comes with privacy limitations, data ownership concerns, and security risks - misconfigurations could put PHI at risk. 

Plus, Microsoft’s HIPAA compliance is not straightforward. Making it frustrating for healthcare providers.

And here is the real danger: If PHI is not protected, you risk your reputation, attract hefty fines, and could face legal trouble.

If Microsoft Forms presents these risks, what’s a better alternative?

BlockSurvey - A Privacy-First, HIPAA-Compliant Alternative

BlockSurvey is a secure HIPAA-compliant survey platform designed with privacy and anonymity in mind.

Built with end-to-end encryption and a zero-knowledge architecture, it ensures the highest level of privacy and security.

It ensures the highest level of privacy and security, giving you full ownership and control over the Patient Health Data you collect, with a HIPAA (BAA) available to reinforce compliance.

Below are a few of BlockSurvey's features that support HIPAA compliance:

• Anonymous Surveys: BlockSurvey helps you create and distribute anonymous and secure surveys to maintain confidentiality.
• Data Ownership: Users retain full ownership and control over their data, with no third-party access.
• Encryption: All data is end-to-end encrypted, only the survey owner can access the responses. Not even us.
• No Tracking: BlockSurvey does not use cookies, trackers, or analytics tools that could compromise respondent privacy.

Here is a detailed side-by-side comparison of Microsoft Forms and BlockSurvey:

Choose the better

While Microsoft Forms is a widely used platform, you might be unknowingly using it for patient data assuming it’s truly HIPAA-compliant. Also, its limitations in data control, anonymous response handling, and potential third-party access may pose risks.

BlockSurvey, with its end-to-end encryption, full user control over data, secure storage, and commitment to privacy, provides a more robust solution for handling sensitive health information.

For organizations that prioritize maximum data privacy and security, BlockSurvey is the superior choice for data collection. It is HIPAA Compliant. Why choose risk when you actually have an exclusive HIPAA-compliant tool? 

Try BlockSurvey today and secure your HIPAA-compliant journey.