Google Drive
Can Healthcare Teams Use Google Drive for PHI?
What healthcare teams should verify before storing PHI in Google Drive, including Google Workspace BAA requirements, included functionality, and sharing controls.
Short answer
Google Drive can support PHI workflows only within Google Workspace's HIPAA program, with a signed BAA and careful use of covered functionality and sharing settings. The biggest risk is casual sharing behavior, not file storage alone.
What Google requires
Google says customers subject to HIPAA must sign a BAA before using PHI in covered Google Workspace and Cloud Identity services. Google also points customers to its HIPAA included functionality list and implementation guidance rather than treating every adjacent Google service as automatically in scope.
Where Google Drive workflows go wrong
Drive becomes risky when teams:
- share with link-based access instead of specific recipients
- store intake, fax, or export files in broad folders
- blur the line between covered Workspace services and unsupported adjacent tools
- rely on Drive as the long-term workflow system instead of the file layer
When Google Drive is a poor fit
Drive is usually a poor fit when the workflow needs repeated assignment, status tracking, tight notification discipline, or evidence tied to the work itself. At that point the problem is no longer file storage alone.
Related pages
Use PHI Tools and Vendors for the broader vendor hub, PHI in Fax for one file-heavy workflow, and PHIGuard vs a generic PHI workflow stack if the issue is Drive plus email plus spreadsheets becoming one uncontrolled process.
Sources
- HIPAA Included Functionality | Google
- Business Associates | HHS