What is the difference between a business associate and a trading partner?
A trading partner agreement is required by the Transactions and Code Sets Rule and covers those health plans and providers that conduct electronic transactions with Med-QUEST. The agreement must cover how the partner will implement the new transactions and code set formats. A business associate is an entity that conducts services on behalf of Med-QUEST and uses, creates, maintains, transmits, or discloses protected health information (PHI) of Med-QUEST recipients. A BA contract or contract addenda is needed to assure that the BA is protecting the PHI according to HIPAA Privacy requirements. There will be cases in Hawaii where a BA is not a trading partner; however many trading partners will also be a BA.
Related Questions
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- What is the difference between a business associate and a trading partner?
