How Severe a Breach of HIPAA is? A Need-to-Know Info https://medium.com/@robertsmithlezdo/breach-of-hipaa-did-you-know-how-serious-it-is-983249ef6613 HIPAA applies to all covered businesses and their business affiliates who handle a patient's medical records. Breach of HIPAA refers to the illegal disclosure or misuse of the health records of an individual. If a business identifies a HIPAA violation, the privacy officer must perform an immediate internal investigation and risk assessment. breachofHIPAA