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Business Associates FAQs

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Who Are Business Associates?
Contracts
Requirements for Business Associates
Limited Data Set Usage
Responsibility of the Covered Entity
Statutory Authority of HIPAA

Who Are Business Associates?

Are accreditation organizations business associates of the covered entities they accredit?
Are the following entities considered "business associates" under the HIPAA Privacy Rule: US Postal Service, United Parcel Service, delivery truck line employees and/or their management?
Is a health insurance issuer or HMO who provides health insurance or health coverage to a group health plan a business associate of the group health plan?
Is a physician or other provider considered to be a business associate of a health plan or other payer?
Is a reinsurer a business associate of a health plan?
Is a software vendor a business associate of a covered entity?
When a covered entity, such as a doctor, uses a certified Telecommunications Relay Service to contact patients with hearing or speech impairments, is the Relay Service a business associate of the doctor?
When is a health care provider a business associate of another health care provider?

Contracts

Requirements for Business Associates

Does the HIPAA Privacy Rule require a business associate to provide individuals with access to their protected health information or an accounting of disclosures, or an opportunity to amend protected health information?

Limited Data Set Usage

Responsibility of the Covered Entities

Statutory Authority of HIPAA

Last Updated: 04/03/2008