2020 Business Associate Agreement

Partners In Communication LLC

Business Associate Agreement

This Business Associate Agreement (this ''Agreement") is entered into between Partners In Communication LLC (herein "Covered Entity") and
(herein "Business Associate"), which shall be deemed effective April 23, 2024
(the "Effective Date")

WHEREAS, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services issued regulation on "Standards for Privacy of Individually Identifiable Health Information" comprising 45 C.F.R. Parts 160 and 164, Subparts A and E (the "Privacy Standards''). "Security Standards for the Protection of Electronic Protected Health Information'' comprising 45 C.F.R. Parts 160 and 164, Subpart C (the "Security Standards"), and "Standards for Notification in the Case of Breach of Unsecured Protected Health Information" comprising 45 C.F.R. Parts 160 and 164, Subpart D (the "Breach Notification Standards"), promulgated pursuant to the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (the Privacy Standards, the Security Standards and the Breach Notification Standards are collectively referred to herein as the "HIPAA Standards").

WHEREAS, the parties hereto desire to enter into this Agreement to memorialize their obligations with respect to PHI pursuant to the requirements of the HIPAA Standards.

NOW, THEREFORE, Covered Entity and Business Associate agree as follows:

Definitions

Catch-all definition:

The following terms used in this Agreement shall have the same meaning as those terms in the HIPAA Rules: Breach, Data Aggregation, Designated Record Set, Disclosure, Health Care Operations, Individual, Minimum Necessary, Notice of Privacy Practices, Protected Health Information, Required By Law, Secretary, Security Incident, Subcontractor, Unsecured Protected Health Information, and Use.

Specific definitions:

(a) Business Associate. “Business Associate” shall generally have the same meaning as the term “business associate” at 45 CFR 160.103, and in reference to the party to this agreement, shall mean .

(b) Covered Entity. “Covered Entity” shall generally have the same meaning as the term “covered entity” at 45 CFR 160.103, and in reference to the party to this agreement, shall mean "Partners In Communication LLC".

(c) HIPAA Rules. “HIPAA Rules” shall mean the Privacy, Security, Breach Notification, and Enforcement Rules at 45 CFR Part 160 and Part 164.

Obligations and Activities of Business Associate

Business Associate agrees to:

(a) Not use or disclose protected health information other than as permitted or required by the Agreement or as required by law;

(b) Use appropriate safeguards, and comply with Subpart C of 45 CFR Part 164 with respect to electronic protected health information, to prevent use or disclosure of protected health information other than as provided for by the Agreement;

(c) Report to covered entity any use or disclosure of protected health information not provided for by the Agreement of which it becomes aware, including breaches of unsecured protected health information as required at 45 CFR 164.410, and any security incident of which it becomes aware;

Business Associate agrees to notify Covered Entity of any Breach of Unsecured Protected Health Information within 5 (five) business days of the date Business Associate learns of the Breach. Business Associate shall provide such information to Covered Entity as required by the HIP AA Standards. Business Associate sh al 1 reasonably cooperate and assist Covered Entity in making the notification to third parties required by law in the event of a Breach and due soley to Business Associate.

(d) In accordance with 45 CFR 164.502(e)(1)(ii) and 164.308(b)(2), if applicable, ensure that any subcontractors that create, receive, maintain, or transmit protected health information on behalf of the business associate agree to the same restrictions, conditions, and requirements that apply to the business associate with respect to such information;

(e) Make available protected health information in a designated record set to the [Choose either “covered entity” or “individual or the individual’s designee”] as necessary to satisfy covered entity’s obligations under 45 CFR 164.524;

In the event that the business associate receives a request for records directly from an individual client, guardian or designee, the business associate will forward the individual's request to the covered entity to fulfill, within 3 (three) business days of receiving the request.

(f) Make any amendment(s) to protected health information in a designated record set as directed or agreed to by the covered entity pursuant to 45 CFR 164.526, or take other measures as necessary to satisfy covered entity’s obligations under 45 CFR 164.526;

The business associate will respond to a request for amendment that the business associate receives directly from the individual by forwarding the individual's request to the covered entity within 3 (three) business days so the covered entity can incorporate any amendments to the information in the designated record set.

(g) Maintain and make available the information required to provide an accounting of disclosures to the [Choose either “covered entity” or “individual”] as necessary to satisfy covered entity’s obligations under 45 CFR 164.528;

The business associate will respond to a request for an accounting of disclosures that the business associate receives directly from the individual by forwarding the request to the covered entity within 3 (three) business days so covered entity can provide an accounting of disclosures information to the individual.

(h) To the extent the business associate is to carry out one or more of covered entity's obligation(s) under Subpart E of 45 CFR Part 164, comply with the requirements of Subpart E that apply to the covered entity in the performance of such obligation(s); and

(i) Make its internal practices, books, and records available to the Secretary for purposes of determining compliance with the HIPAA Rules.

Permitted Uses and Disclosures by Business Associate

(a) Business associate may only use or disclose protected health information as necessary to perform the services set forth in Service Agreement. The business associate:

(b) Business associate may use or disclose protected health information as required by law.

(c) Business associate agrees to make uses and disclosures and requests for protected health information subject to the following minimum necessary requirements: Business Associate acknowledges that it shall limit the use, disclosures or request of PHI to perform or fulfill a specific function required or permitted hereunder to the Minimum Necessary, as defined by HIPAA

(d)Business associate may not use or disclose protected health information in a manner that would violate Subpart E of 45 CFR Part 164 if done by covered entity [if the Agreement permits the business associate to use or disclose protected health information for its own management and administration and legal responsibilities or for data aggregation services as set forth in optional provisions (e), (t), or (g) below, then add", except for the specific uses and disclosures set forth below."]

(e) Business associate may disclose protected health information for the proper management and administration of business associate or to carry out the legal responsibilities of the business associate, provided the disclosures are required by law, or business associate obtains reasonable assurances from the person to whom the information is disclosed that the information will remain confidential and used or further disclosed only as required by law or for the purposes for which it was disclosed to the person, and the person notifies business associate of any instances of which it is aware in which the confidentiality of the information has been breached.

Provisions for Covered Entity to Inform Business Associate of Privacy Practices and Restrictions

(a) Covered entity shall notify business associate of any limitation(s) in the notice of privacy practices of covered entity under 45 CFR 164.520, to the extent that such limitation may affect business associate’s use or disclosure of protected health information.

(b) Covered entity shall notify business associate of any changes in, or revocation of, the permission by an individual to use or disclose his or her protected health information, to the extent that such changes may affect business associate’s use or disclosure of protected health information.

(c) Covered entity shall notify business associate of any restriction on the use or disclosure of protected health information that covered entity has agreed to or is required to abide by under 45 CFR 164.522, to the extent that such restriction may affect business associate’s use or disclosure of protected health information.

Permissible Requests by Covered Entity

Covered entity shall not request business associate to use or disclose protected health information in any manner that would not be permissible under Subpart E of 45 CFR Part 164 if done by covered entity.

Term and Termination

(a) Term. The Term of this Agreement shall be effective as of April 23, 2024, and shall terminate on [Insert termination date or event] or on the date covered entity terminates for cause as authorized in paragraph (b) of this Section, whichever is sooner.

(b) Termination for Cause. Business associate authorizes termination of this Agreement by covered entity, if covered entity determines business associate has violated a material term of the Agreement and business associate has not cured the breach or ended the violation within the time specified by covered entity.

if the agreement authorizes the business associate to use or disclose protected health information for its own management and administration or to carry out its legal responsibilities and the business associate needs to retain protected health information for such purposes after termination of the agreement

Upon termination of this Agreement for any reason, business associate, with respect to protected health information received from covered entity, or created, maintained, or received by business associate on behalf of covered entity, shall:

Retain only that protected health information which is necessary for business associate to continue its proper management and administration or to carry out its legal responsibilities;
Return to covered entity [or, if agreed to by covered entity, destroy] the remaining protected health information that the business associate still maintains in any form;
Continue to use appropriate safeguards and comply with Subpart C of 45 CFR Part 164 with respect to electronic protected health information to prevent use or disclosure of the protected health information, other than as provided for in this Section, for as long as business associate retains the protected health information;
Not use or disclose the protected health information retained by business associate other than for the purposes for which such protected health information was retained and subject to the same conditions set out at [Insert section number related to paragraphs (e) and (f) above under “Permitted Uses and Disclosures By Business Associate”] which applied prior to termination; and
Return to covered entity [or, if agreed to by covered entity, destroy] the protected health information retained by business associate when it is no longer needed by business associate for its proper management and administration or to carry out its legal responsibilities.

(d) Survival. The obligations of business associate under this Section shall survive the termination of this Agreement.

Miscellaneous

(a) Regulatory References. A reference in this Agreement to a section in the HIPAA Rules means the section as in effect or as amended.

(b) Amendment. The Parties agree to take such action as is necessary to amend this Agreement from time to time as is necessary for compliance with the requirements of the HIPAA Rules and any other applicable law.

Business Associate:
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Signed by Rob Balaam
Signed On: June 1, 2021

Timestamp

Audit

June 4, 2020 11:00 pm PDT

2020 Business Associate Agreement Uploaded by Rob Balaam - medicaldocs@partnersincommunicationllc.com IP 66.235.79.25

March 25, 2021 12:25 pm PDT

Jacob Dubail - jacob@jacobdubail.com added by Rob Balaam - medicaldocs@partnersincommunicationllc.com as a CC'd Recipient Ip: 66.165.7.141