BUSINESS ASSOCIATE AGREEMENT BETWEEN MEDREPAI AND HEALTHCARE PROVIDER MEMBER
Introduction
This BUSINESS ASSOCIATE AGREEMENT (the "BA Agreement") is incorporated by reference into and made a part of the MedRepAI Terms of Service, and is entered into by and between MedRepAI, Inc. ("MedRepAI" or "we") and the applicable healthcare provider that has agreed to the Terms of Service ("Provider"); provided, however, that the terms of this BA Agreement apply only if and solely to the extent that MedRepAI receives, creates, maintains, or transmits Protected Health Information relating to patients of Provider in connection with the Covered Services (defined below) that MedRepAI, as a Business Associate, performs for or on behalf of Provider, as a Covered Entity. MedRepAI, in its capacity as a Business Associate is referred to herein as "Business Associate", and Provider, in his/her/its capacity as a Covered Entity, is referred to herein as "Covered Entity." WITNESSETH WHEREAS, the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996, as amended by the HITECH Act, and the regulations promulgated thereunder (collectively, "HIPAA"), protect the confidentiality of health information; and WHEREAS, in order to comply with the business associate requirements of HIPAA, a Business Associate and a Covered Entity must enter into an agreement that governs the uses and disclosures of such confidential health information by the Business Associate. NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of the foregoing recitals, the mutual promises and covenants set forth herein, and other good and valuable consideration, the receipt and sufficiency of which are hereby acknowledged, the parties agree as follows:
1. Definitions
For purposes of this BA Agreement, the following terms shall have the following meanings:
- "Breach" when capitalized, shall have the meaning as the term "breach" in 45 C.F.R. 164.402; with respect to all other uses of the word "breach" in this BA Agreement, the word shall have its ordinary contract meaning.
- "Business Associate" shall generally have the same meaning as the term "business associate" in 45 C.F.R. § 160.103.
- "Covered Entity" shall generally have the same meaning as the term "covered entity" in 45 C.F.R. § 160.103.
- "Covered Services" shall mean the services performed by MedRepAI for or on behalf of Provider as a Covered Entity in connection with Provider’s use of the MedRepAI Tools that causes MedRepAI to receive, create, maintain or transmit PHI and establishes a Business Associate relationship between Provider and MedRepAI.
- "MedRepAI Tools" shall mean the communication tools that MedRepAI makes available to Provider through the Service (as defined in the Terms of Service) and identifies as appropriately secure for the communication of Protected Health Information.
- "Electronic Protected Health Information" or "ePHI" shall have the meaning given to such term under the Privacy Rule and the Security Rule, including, but not limited to, 45 C.F.R. 160.103, and is limited to ePHI created, received, maintained or transmitted by MedRepAI for, or on behalf of, or from Provider in connection with MedRepAI’s provision of the Covered Services.
- "HIPAA Rules" shall mean the Privacy, Security, Breach Notification, and Enforcement Rules at 45 C.F.R. Part 160 and Part 164.
- "HITECH Act" shall mean the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act, found in Title XIII of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, effective February 17, 2009.
- "Individual" shall have the meaning as the term "individual" in 45 C.F.R. 160.103, and shall include a personal representative in accordance with 45 C.F.R. 164.502(g).
- "Privacy Rule" shall mean the Standards for Privacy of Individually Identifiable Health Information, 45 C.F.R. Parts 160 and 164, Subparts A, D, and E, as currently in effect.
- "Protected Health Information" or "PHI" shall have the same meaning as the term "protected health information" in 45 C.F.R. § 160.103 and is limited to PHI created, received, maintained or transmitted by MedRepAI for, on behalf of, or from Provider in connection with MedRepAI’s provision of the Covered Services.
- "Required by Law" shall have the same meaning as the term "required by law" in 45 C.F.R. 164.103.
- "Secretary" shall mean the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services or any office or person within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to which/whom the Secretary has delegated his or her authority to administer the Privacy Rule and the Security Rule, such as the Director of the Office for Civil Rights.
- "Security Incident" shall have the same meaning as the term "security incident" in 45 C.F.R. § 164.304.
- "Security Rule" shall mean Security Standards for the Protection of Electronic Protected Health Information, 45 C.F.R. Part 160 and Part 164, Subparts A and C.
- "Subcontractor" shall have the meaning as the term "subcontractor" in 45 C.F.R. §160.103.
- "Unsecured Protected Health Information" shall have the same meaning as the term "unsecured protected health information" in 45 C.F.R. 164.402, and is limited to the PHI created, received, maintained or transmitted by Business Associate from or on behalf of Covered Entity.
- All references to "days" in this BA Agreement shall mean calendar days. Capitalized terms used not defined herein shall have the meanings ascribed to them in the Privacy Rule or Security Rule or the applicable Terms of Service.
2. Business Associate Obligations.
2.1 General.Business Associate agrees not to use or disclose PHI other than as permitted or required by this BA Agreement, the Terms of Service or as Required By Law.2.2 Appropriate Safeguards.Business Associate agrees to use appropriate safeguards and comply with Subpart C of 45 C.F.R. Part 164 with respect to ePHI, to prevent any use or disclosure of PHI other than as provided for by this BA Agreement.
2.3 Subcontractors.Business Associate agrees, in accordance with 45 C.F.R. § 164.502(e)(1)(ii) and § 164.308(b)(2), if applicable, to require that any Subcontractors that create, receive, maintain, or transmit Protected Health Information on behalf of Business Associate agree to restrictions and conditions that are no less restrictive than those that apply to Business Associate with respect to such information.
2.4 Reporting of Unauthorized Use or Disclosures.
2.4.1 Business Associate agrees to report to Provider any use or disclosure of Provider’s Protected Health Information not provided for by this Agreement, including, without limitation, Breaches of Unsecured Protected Health Information as required at 45 C.F.R. 164.410, and any Security Incident of which it becomes aware. Notice is hereby deemed provided, and no further notice will be provided, for unsuccessful Security Incidents, which shall include, but not be limited to, unauthorized access, use, disclosure, modification, or destruction, such as pings and other broadcast attacks on a firewall, port scans, unsuccessful login attempts, denial of service attacks, or interception of encrypted information, so long as such incidents do not result, to the extent Business Associate is aware, in unauthorized access, use or disclosure of Provider’s Electronic Protected Health Information.
2.4.2 For all reporting obligations under this BA Agreement, the parties acknowledge that, due to the nature of the Covered Services, Business Associate may not know the nature of the PHI or the identities of the Individuals about whom the PHI relates. Accordingly, Business Associate may be limited in its ability to provide information regarding the identities of the Individuals who may have been affected by a Security Incident or Breach affecting Provider's PHI, or in its ability to provide detailed information regarding what Provider PHI was affected by a Security Incident or Breach.
2.6 Access to Protected Health Information.Business Associate shall make Provider's Protected Health Information in a Designated Record Set available to Provider in order for Provider to comply with its obligations under 45 C.F.R. 164.524 to provide Individuals with access to their Protected Health Information.
2.7 Amendments to Protected Health Information.Business Associate agrees to make any amendment(s) to Protected Health Information in a Designated Record Set as directed or agreed to by the Provider pursuant to 45 C.F.R. § 164.526, or take other measures as necessary to satisfy Covered Entity's obligations under 45 C.F.R. 164.526.
2.8 Accounting of Disclosures.
2.8.1 Business Associate agrees to maintain and make available the information required to provide an accounting of all disclosures to Provider as necessary to satisfy Provider’s obligations under 45 C.F.R. 164.528.
2.8.2 Notwithstanding Section 2.8.1, for repetitive disclosures of Protected Health Information that Business Associate makes for a single purpose to the same person or entity, Business Associate may record: (a) the Disclosure Information for the first of these repetitive disclosures; (b) the frequency, periodicity or number of these repetitive disclosures made during the accounting period; and the date of the last of these repetitive disclosures.
3. Permitted Uses and Disclosures.
3.1 General.Business Associate agrees to use and disclose PHI only in a manner consistent with this BA Agreement, the Privacy Rule, or Security Rule, and in connection with providing the Covered Services.3.2 De-identification and Aggregation.Business Associate is authorized to (i) use Provider Protected Health Information to de-identify the Protected Health Information in accordance with 45 C.F.R. 164.514(a)-(c), and (ii) provide Data Aggregation services relating to the Health Care Operations of Provider.
3.3 Management, Administration and Legal Responsibilities.
3.3.1 Business Associate may use and disclose PHI for the proper management and administration of Business Associate or to carry out its legal responsibilities.
3.3.2 Business Associate may disclose Protected Health Information for the proper management and administration of the 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 notified Business Associate of any instances of which it is aware in which the confidentiality of the information has been breached.
3.3.3 If Business Associate receives a court order, subpoena, or governmental request for documents or other information containing Provider's Protected Health Information, if legally permissible, Business Associate will use reasonable efforts to notify Provider of the receipt of the request to provide Provider an opportunity to respond. Business Associate may comply with such order, subpoena, or request as Required by Law or permitted by law.
4. Covered Entity Obligations.
4.1 Notice of Privacy Practices.Provider shall notify Business Associate of limitation(s) in its Notice of Privacy Practices, to the extent such limitation affects Business Associate's use or disclosure of PHI..
4.2 Individual Permission.Provider shall notify Business Associate of any changes in or revocation of permission by an Individual to use or disclose PHI, to the extent such changes or revocation affect Business Associate's permitted or required uses or disclosures of PHI.
4.3 Restrictions.Provider shall notify Business Associate of restriction(s) in the use or disclosure of PHI that Provider has agreed to, to the extent such restriction affects Business Associate's permitted uses or disclosures of PHI.
4.4 Consents and Authorizations.Provider represents and warrants that any and all consents, authorizations, or other permissions necessary under the Privacy Rule or other applicable law (including state law) for the transmission of PHI in connection with the Covered Services and for the uses and disclosures specified in this BA Agreement and in accordance with the Terms of Service have been properly secured and communicated to Business Associate.
4.5 Marketing.Provider represents and warrants that it has obtained any and all authorizations from Individuals as necessary for any use or disclosure of PHI for its Marketing in connection with the Covered Services, unless the related communication is made without any form of remuneration (i) to describe medical services or products; (ii) for treatment of the Individual; or (iii) for case management or care coordination for the Individual or to direct or recommend alternate treatments, therapies, providers or settings.
4.6 Permissible Requests by Covered Entity.Provider shall not request Business Associate to use or disclose PHI in any manner that would not be permissible under Subpart E of 45 C.F.R. Part 164, except with respect to uses and disclosures by Business Associate of Protected Health Information under Section 3.3 above.
5. Term and Termination.
5.1 Term.The term of this BA Agreement shall commence on and this BA Agreement shall be effective as of the date that Provider agrees to the MedRepAI Terms of Service by electronically registering as a MedRepAI member, and shall continue in effect for as long as Provider is registered as a MedRepAI member, or until termination as provided in this Section 5.
5.2 Termination for Cause.In the event either party determines that the other has materially breached a term of this BA Agreement, and such breach continues for thirty (30) days after written notice of such breach has been received, the party claiming a breach shall have the right to terminate this BA Agreement. Upon termination of this BA Agreement, MedRepAI may immediately terminate Provider’s MedRepAI membership.
5.3 Effect of Termination.The parties hereby acknowledge that Business Associate’s return or destruction of PHI is not feasible, and therefore, Business Associate may retain a copy of such Protected Health Information provided that: (i) the provisions of this Agreement shall continue to apply to any such information retained following termination of this Agreement; and (ii) Business Associate shall limit uses and disclosures of such PHI to those purposes that make the return or destruction thereof not feasible, for as long as Business Associate maintains such PHI.
6. Miscellaneous.
6.1 Regulatory References.A reference in this BA Agreement to a section in HIPAA, the HITECH Act, the Privacy Rule, or the Security Rule means the section as in effect or as amended at the time.
6.2 Survival.The respective rights and obligations of the parties under Section 5.3 of this BA Agreement shall survive the termination of this BA Agreement.
6.3 Interpretation.Any ambiguity in this BA Agreement shall be resolved in favor of a meaning that permits the parties to comply with the Privacy Rule and Security Rule.
6.4 Controlling Provisions.Except to the extent specified in this BA Agreement, all of the terms and conditions governing Provider’s use of the Covered Services specified in the Terms of Service shall be and remain in full force and effect, and in the event of any conflict between this BA Agreement and such terms and conditions, this BA Agreement shall govern and control.
6.5 Amendment.This BA Agreement is incorporated by reference into and made a part of the Terms of Service, and as such may be amended from time to time by MedRepAI as described therein, subject to applicable law. Continued use of the Services following amendment of this BA Agreement shall indicate Provider’s acceptance of such amendment.
6.6 Independent Relationship.None of the provisions of this BA Agreement are intended to create, nor will they be deemed to create, any relationship between the parties other than that of independent parties contracting with each other as independent contractors solely for the purposes of effecting the provisions of this BA Agreement and the terms and conditions governing Provider's use of the Covered Services.
6.7 Notices.We may provide notices via postings on www.medrepai.com. All notices under this BA Agreement shall be sent in writing by traceable carrier to the addresses indicated below or such other address as a party may indicate with at least ten (10) days' prior written notice to the other party. MedRepAI may provide notices to Provider under this BA Agreement at the email address specified below. Notices will be effective upon receipt. Any notices that do not comply with this section shall have no legal effect.
ADDRESSES FOR NOTICES
FOR MedRepAI:
MedRepAI
ATTN: Legal Department
188 N. Avon Ave, Suite 101
Avon, IN 46123
FOR PROVIDER:
The notice address for Provider is the email address or physical address associated with Provider’s MedRepAI member account.
Choice of Law and Jurisdiction.
This BA Agreement, as well as all related disputes, shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the State of Indiana, without giving effect to its conflict of law provisions, regardless of from where you access the Covered Services. You agree that the exclusive place of jurisdiction for all disputes or claims relating to this BA Agreement is Marion County, Indiana, or a United States District Court of Indiana, except as otherwise agreed by the parties or as described in the Arbitration Agreement set forth in the Terms of Service.