What is the role of business associates in relation to HIPAA?

Business associates play a crucial role in the landscape of HIPAA because they provide various services to covered entities, which includes healthcare providers, health plans, and healthcare clearinghouses, that involve the use or disclosure of protected health information (PHI). These individuals or entities must comply with HIPAA regulations when they handle PHI on behalf of a covered entity. This compliance is established through a Business Associate Agreement, which outlines the permissible uses and disclosures of PHI and sets forth the safeguards that the business associate must implement to protect that information.

By enforcing these obligations, HIPAA ensures that business associates are held accountable for the protection of PHI, preventing unauthorized access and ensuring that privacy standards are maintained across all entities involved in healthcare. This is essential to upholding patients' rights to confidentiality and security of their health information.