> Collection PHI on platforms not certified for PHI is a HIPAA violation
No, it's not. (There are compliance reauirements, both direct and implicit on the HITECH definition of secured PHI, but “certified for PHI” is not one of them, despite marketing myths spread by the private HIPAA certification industry, which pedals certifications without legal meaning.)
> a good way to get sued for all of your dollars x10,
HIPAA penalties are capped at a penalty of $1.5 million per year for violations of any single provision, regardless of number of violations (and $50k per violation).