HIPAA: How to Avoid Becoming an Accidental Business Associate

The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 ("HIPAA") governs how the personal health information of patients must be safeguarded by health care providers, insurers and their business associates "BAs." Attorneys are frequently "Business Associates" of health care providers and insurers, sometimes unintentionally. Under HIPAA's 2013 omnibus regulations, attorneys now have significant HIPAA compliance obligations.  

If you as an attorney provide services to any "Covered Entity" under HIPAA, failure to comply with your HIPAA obligations can lead to very significant civil money penalties, professional misconduct liability and ethics violations. In this course, attorneys Christopher Ezold and Melanie Bork Graham will cover the regulatory obligations of attorneys as business associates under HIPAA, how to comply, and the misconduct and ethics issues that exist in tandem with the regulatory obligations.

Learning Objectives: 

1. Understand HIPAA's 2013 omnibus regulations
2. Review what it means to be a "business associate" under HIPAA
3. Discuss how to comply with the regulatory obligations of attorneys as business associates under HIPAA