Do you need this guide?
- Are you a healthcare professional?
- Do you presently collect or plan to collect patient information on your website or online?
If yes to both, then you need this guide.
Want to learn more about HIPAA-Compliant forms? Read out blog The Most Comprehensive Guide to HIPAA-Compliant Online Forms in 2025
Step 1: Identify Which Forms Require HIPAA Compliance
If your form collects Protected Health Information (PHI), it needs to be HIPAA Compliant. PHI includes anything that can link medical information to an individual:
- Name + diagnosis
- Phone number + treatment notes
- Email address + appointment details
Common forms that require HIPAA compliance:
- New patient intake forms
- Mental health screening forms
- Online consent and release forms
- Telehealth appointment requests
- Contact Us forms
Step 2: Assess Your Current Forms
If you already have online forms, then you might be using one of the formats below. While each format has its pros, there are also cons to go with the pros, and they all relate to HIPAA Compliance:
Word or PDF Forms
Pros:
– Easy to make
Cons:
-Not secure
-Hard to manage
-No audit trail
-Hard to fill out for patients
-Not user-friendly on mobile
Free Online Form Builders (e.g., Google Forms (non-HIPAA mode), Contact Form 7 from WordPress
Pros:
– User-friendly
-Fast, no coding required.
Cons:
-Most online form builders aren’t created with HIPAA Compliance in mind, and don’t offer a BAA. Google Forms does provide a BAA, but only for certain plans such as Workspace.
HTML forms
Pros:
– Seamless UX for mobile
-Easy to build and embed
Cons:
-Unless your hosting is HIPAA Compliant and under a BAA, the form is not compliant
Online form provided by your favourite website builder
Most popular website builders such as Wix, Webflow, Squarespace, and Shopify are not initially HIPAA Compliant and require third-party online forms for compliance – this includes any pre-built forms they may offer to use on your website.
So then, how do you make online forms that are HIPAA Compliant?
Step 3: Choose a HIPAA-Compliant Form Builder
If you want to upgrade your existing forms instead of rebuilding them, choose a form builder that:
- Signs a BAA
- Encrypts PHI in transit and at rest
- Offers secure hosting and access controls
- Allows you to customize or import existing forms
- Provides 2MF to Sign In
Step 4: Convert Your Existing Forms
HIPAA-Compliant form builders offer more functionality than just creating HIPAA-Compliant online forms. With most form builders, you can:
1. Copy-Paste Fields from Other Form Builders
- Use your current form as a reference
- Drag-and-drop fields in a HIPAA-Compliant form builder such as JotForm, Formstack, etc.
- Match logic, labels, and layout
Want to learn more about HIPAA-Compliant Form Builders? Read this blog
2. Embed Converted Forms on Your Website if the form builder provides an integration to a website.
3. Create a HIPAA-Compliant online form using your PDF, Word, or Scan example.
4. Use form builder services that can convert your form into a HIPAA-Compliant online form.
Upload your form to HIPAAtizer, and we will convert it into a HIPAA-Compliant form for free
Step 5: Test and Launch you secure online form
Once your form is ready:
- Preview the form on desktop and mobile
- Test submission flows
- Review submission printable format – Doctors love traditional paper submissions
- Share the form securely (via website, SMS, email link, QR code)
- If you are making a form for your clients, make sure that you do not have access to PHI, and your clients can test the forms and submissions.
Real-Life Examples
Example 1: Mental Health Intake Form
Original format: Fillable PDF shared via email
HIPAA-Compliant online version: Secure online form with custom logic, embedded on a therapy clinic’s website, with automated calculations for tests and quizzes. Mobile-friendly for patients to fill it out on any device.
Example 2: Dental Office Appointment Request
Original format: Google Form with patient info
HIPAA-Compliant online version: Fully secure form with e-signature and e-payment, embedded on WordPress.
You Don’t Need to Start Over
If your forms already exist, you’re halfway there. The trick is getting them into a HIPAA-Compliant system without breaking your workflow or your budget.
HIPAAtizer was built by developers for developers and healthcare providers who need compliance made easy.
✅ Free form conversion
✅ No-code form builder
✅Required fields options
✅Style forms your way
✅Conditional logic
✅ Secure, hosted, embeddable forms
✅ Always includes a signed BAA
Learn more in our Guide to HIPAA-Compliant Online Forms in 2025
Still have questions? Contact us