This page describes how ValGuard policy packs help teams reduce the chance that LLM output carries US protected health information (PHI) markers or omits required medical disclaimers. It is not a certification, a BAA substitute, or legal advice. Map controls with your counsel and compliance reviewer.
Regulation context
HIPAA cares about how PHI is used and disclosed. LLM agents that summarize charts, draft messages, or answer patient questions can emit identifiers and clinical details into tickets, logs, or chat UIs. Deterministic rules do not prove HIPAA compliance. They catch encoded patterns before the next step.
Which packs apply
| Validator | Role |
|---|---|
phi_us_hipaa_patterns | Common PHI markers in output |
medical_disclaimer_required | Disclaimer when health keywords appear |
pii_detection | Broader personal data patterns |
pii_ssn_us | US SSN shapes |
secrets_detection | Keys and secrets that should never leave the model |
Compliance pack availability depends on plan entitlements. See pricing and validator catalog.
Sample violation
An agent drafts a patient portal reply that includes a full MRN-style identifier and no disclaimer. phi_us_hipaa_patterns or related rules can block with a rule ID before the message sends. Shadow mode first: measure would-blocks on sanitized traffic. Shadow mode.
Rollout
- Start in shadow on a non-production or sanitized corpus permitted by policy.
- Review would-block samples with clinical ops / compliance.
- Enforce on the highest-risk agents (outbound patient messaging, export jobs).
- Keep fail-closed on those paths. Fail-closed.
- Prefer Enterprise self-host when PHI must stay in your VPC. Trust.
Honest limits
- Pattern packs miss novel encodings and free-text clinical nuance.
- Hosted shadow and enforce still process content in ValGuard's cloud unless you self-host.
- ValGuard is not a covered entity workflow engine and does not issue attestations.
- Complementary human review and BAAs remain your program.
Related
Next step
Open phi_us_hipaa_patterns and attach it in shadow on one outbound agent.