PHIPA Technology Checklist for Ontario Dental Practices

A practical technology checklist to help Ontario dental offices protect patient information and support their PHIPA privacy responsibilities.

Ontario dental practices depend on technology to schedule patients, manage clinical records, process images, communicate, and bill. PHIPA compliance is broader than IT, but technical safeguards are essential to protecting personal health information.

This checklist is practical guidance, not legal advice. Each practice should confirm its obligations with its privacy and legal advisors.

Build an accurate technology inventory

Document every location where patient information is stored, processed, or transmitted. Include dental practice management software, imaging systems, servers, workstations, laptops, email, cloud storage, backups, scanners, removable media, portals, and vendor integrations.

Identify the owner, purpose, data type, location, and support contact for each system. Review the inventory at least annually and whenever the practice adds a new application or device.

Control identities and access

Give every team member an individual account. Apply role-based access so users can reach only the information needed for their responsibilities. Require multi-factor authentication for Microsoft 365, remote access, cloud systems, and administrator accounts.

Remove access immediately when a worker leaves. Review administrator permissions regularly and avoid shared passwords. Use a password manager for business credentials.

Protect devices, networks, and email

Maintain supported operating systems and a documented patching process. Use managed endpoint protection, firewalls, email filtering, secure wireless networks, and separate guest Wi-Fi. Encrypt portable computers and supported storage devices that may contain patient information.

Remote access should be approved, monitored, and protected with multi-factor authentication. Vendors should receive time-limited access when possible.

Make backups recoverable

Maintain encrypted backups that match the practice's recovery needs. Keep a protected copy that cannot be changed by an attacker using ordinary administrator credentials. Monitor backup jobs every day and test restoration on a schedule.

Document how quickly the practice needs to recover scheduling, clinical records, imaging, and communication systems. A successful backup notification does not prove that a complete recovery will work.

Log activity and prepare for incidents

Enable useful audit logs for identity systems, email, servers, security tools, and supported clinical applications. Define who reviews alerts and what happens after suspicious activity is detected.

Maintain a written incident response process with contacts, escalation steps, evidence preservation, communication responsibilities, and recovery priorities. Run a short tabletop exercise so staff know what to do before a real event.

Review vendors and data handling

Understand where each vendor stores data, who can access it, how it is encrypted, and what happens when the relationship ends. Review agreements for privacy, security, breach notification, backup, retention, and deletion responsibilities.

Train the dental team

Provide recurring privacy and security awareness training. Staff should know how to report suspicious email, unexpected login prompts, lost devices, unusual software behaviour, and possible privacy incidents quickly.

Group 4 Networks helps Toronto and GTA dental practices assess technical safeguards, document gaps, and create a prioritized PHIPA-aligned technology roadmap.

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