What is a Business Associate Agreement (BAA)?
A Business Associate Agreement (BAA) is a contract required by HIPAA between a covered entity, such as a healthcare provider, and a vendor that handles protected health information (PHI) on its behalf. It sets out how the vendor must safeguard PHI and report breaches. A covered entity cannot share PHI with a vendor without one.
What the buyer is really asking
A healthcare buyer cannot share protected health information with you without a BAA. Say whether you sign one, on which plans, and whether you use your own template or theirs. If you do not handle PHI, say that plainly.
Other ways buyers ask it
Every one of these wants the same answer:
- “Do you sign Business Associate Agreements?”
- “Are you HIPAA compliant?”
- “Can we use your service to store protected health information?”
Evidence to have ready
- Your standard BAA template
- The plans or configurations the BAA covers
How Tyrvar answers this
Tyrvar treats every wording above as one question. You write the answer once, attach the evidence, and revisit it when your setup changes. Each buyer gets that approved answer no matter how their questionnaire words it. If you have not answered it yet, Tyrvar flags the question for you and does not make something up. Try it on your own questionnaire.