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Glossary › Business Associate Agreement (BAA)
What is Business Associate Agreement (BAA)?
A BAA is a mandatory HIPAA contract between a covered entity and a vendor that accesses protected health information. It specifies security controls, data handling expectations, audit rights, and breach notification duties. In TPRM, BAAs form a key part of contract-level risk mitigation for healthcare organizations working with cloud services, billing companies, analytics providers, and other processors.
FAQs
Why does a BAA matter in vendor risk management?
It ensures third parties handling PHI are contractually obligated to follow HIPAA safeguards.
Do BAAs require specific security controls?
Yes, they reference HIPAA Security Rule requirements and may include additional organization-specific controls.
Does every vendor require a BAA?
Only those that create, receive, maintain, or transmit PHI on behalf of a covered entity.
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