Smartsheet is a spreadsheet-first work platform popular with operations teams. Clinics sometimes land on it for credentialing trackers, audit checklists, and staff onboarding. It can sign a BAA, but that is where the HIPAA story stops: Smartsheet has no audit trail scoped to §164.312(b), no PHI-aware fields, and no compliance-specific templates.
The BAA Problem
Smartsheet offers HIPAA-eligible plans on higher tiers with a signed BAA. The pricing is per user and moves quickly past what most small clinics will spend. A BAA on its own is not a compliance program — it is a contract saying the vendor will take certain obligations. Your staff still need a tool that makes the right thing the easy thing.
What Changes With PHIGuard
PHIGuard is built for covered entities. Every tier — starting at $99/month per clinic — includes a signed BAA. You also get:
- Immutable audit trail on every action, satisfying HIPAA §164.312(b)
- PHI-aware fields that keep patient detail out of email notifications and log files
- Compliance templates for HIPAA annual training, risk analysis, policy review, and incident response
- Role-based access scoped to clinic roles, not generic spreadsheet permissions
Pricing Comparison
| Smartsheet | PHIGuard | |
|---|---|---|
| BAA available | Higher tiers | Every tier |
| Pricing model | Per user/month | Per clinic/month |
| HIPAA audit trail | No | Yes, built-in |
| Compliance templates | No | Yes |
| Starting price (with BAA) | Enterprise (custom) | $99/clinic/mo |
Who Should Use PHIGuard Instead of Smartsheet
If you are using Smartsheet purely as a tracker for tasks that carry PHI, PHIGuard is a cleaner fit at a fraction of the cost. Smartsheet remains useful for budgeting, project timelines, and non-clinical operations work.