Compliance & Legal
Willful Neglect
Conscious failure to comply with HIPAA, carrying the highest penalty tier.
Willful neglect is a HIPAA enforcement category describing a conscious, intentional failure, or reckless indifference, to comply with HIPAA requirements. It carries the highest civil monetary penalty tiers under the Enforcement Rule.
Penalties are steeper when willful neglect is not corrected within 30 days. Maintaining documented safeguards, audit logs, and a current risk analysis is the primary defense against a finding of willful neglect. The penalty tiers it triggers are in HIPAA violation fines and penalties.