HIPAA Compliance for Business Associates
Many different establishments in the healthcare field need to comply with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, also known as HIPAA. This includes hospitals, clinics, private practices, as well as individual medical professionals like doctors, nurses, pharmacists, and business associates.
In this blog, we’ll go over the intricacies of following HIPAA regulations as a business associate. When your business is HIPAA compliant, this demonstrates to patients and covered entities that you are dependable in protecting personal data.
Who Are Business Associates?
A business associate is any individual or group that provides services to a covered entity on their behalf and makes use of protected health information (PHI) in some capacity. Administrative, legal, financial, management, consultancy, and other industries are all possible places for BA enterprises to operate.
Here are a few examples of BAs:
- Medical billing companies
- Law offices
- Accounting firms
- Shredding services
- IT vendors
- Health insurance companies
- Medical transcription services
If your company interacts with PHI from a healthcare provider, health insurer, or another comparable covered entity (CE), it qualifies as a Business Associate (BA) and must abide by all HIPAA/HITECH rules and be HIPAA compliant.
How to Become HIPAA-Compliant?
HIPAA compliance requires establishing administrative, technical, and physical precautions mandated by HIPAA. To develop a HIPAA security program, Business Associates and healthcare vendors should consider the following steps:
- Sign BAA agreements - A Business Associates Agreement (BAA) is required for cloud services and providers to store, process, or manage protected health information (PHI). A BAA should be signed by organizations with their cloud provider and any other IT service where they will store or process PHI.
- Create Administrative Policies - Business associates should create clear HIPAA administrative policies for their business. These policies should be established in plain language, giving a foundation for administering the company's HIPAA security program. They should also include administrative safeguards to protect PHI.
- Establish Technical Security Measures - Business Associates must implement technical security controls in IT infrastructure, including all cloud services handling PHI. By establishing a robust security framework, business associates demonstrate their commitment to data privacy and integrity, thereby enhancing their credibility and reputation in the industry.
Starting HIPAA Compliance for Your Business
Companies often lack awareness of their legal status as BAs, making HIPAA compliance a challenge. Business Associates are often unaware of their obligation to adhere to HIPAA compliance rules. This leaves them liable for any failures, including breaches in security. HIPAA compliance demonstrates trustworthiness in protecting personal data.
Become HIPAA-Compliant
In order to be HIPAA compliant, businesses must put all required HIPAA administrative, technical, and physical safeguards into place. Teams should design a HIPAA security program with technical controls applied across IT infrastructure, cloud services, and tailored policies based on organization and technologies.
If any of this seems daunting and you don’t know where to start, 360 Training offers a course to ensure your business is HIPAA compliant. This course is for anyone classified as a Business Associate. It is tailored to address the needs of answering services, medical billing, medical transcribing, software/IT companies, marketing firms, cleaning services, manufacturers of medical devices, attorneys, consultants, and other businesses that provide services related to healthcare. Show your clients and patrons that you care about their protection by outfitting your company to be HIPAA compliant.
