Business Associate Agreements (BAA) are an important part of any business. A business will have many ‘business associates’, an entity other than one from that business who provides services on behalf of said business. HIPAA compliance policies dictate that a business should have contracts with its business associates that safeguard sensitive patient information. Business associates include law firms that handle legal cases for your business. Another example is your IT provider, who has access to much sensitive data and records. An external cleaning service is also another example of an associate. These entities potentially have access to private patient data and are all in-scope under the HIPAA rules.
This is where a BAA is a significant tool in ensuring the privacy and security of patients. Business associates are then responsible under HIPAA to maintain confidentiality of all patient health information. There are specific guidelines to follow when creating your custom agreement. These guidelines are easily accessible on the Health Information Privacy website.
Kota Technology and BAAs:
At Kota Technology, we take HIPAA compliance seriously. Our specialty is healthcare IT, therefore, everything we do is HIPAA compliant as well. We have an efficient and effective process in place for creating and maintaining a BAA for each and every client. If you are not using Kota Technology for your IT support, check with your current IT provider to ensure that they are HIPAA compliant and will also sign a BAA.
Call 1-888-KOTA-SYS or email support@kotasystems.com to learn more.
Learn more at: https://www.hhs.gov/hipaa/for-professionals/covered-entities/sample-business-associate-agreement-provisions/index.html