Business Associate Agreement:
As a healthcare professional and in light of the extensive changes (that’s an understatement…) and rules established by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), it is critical that you take the time to review your current and entire list of third-party vendors and business associates to determine whether or not they understand and are compliant with the 2013 Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA). You should start by making a comprehensive list of all the companies and individuals which you do business and who – in some way – come in any sort of contact with a patient’s Personal Health Information (PHI). It’s important that you make sure all of your business associate agreements that need to be current and in place – are.
