In general, a business associate is a person or organization, other than a member of a covered entity’s workforce, that performs certain functions or activities on behalf of, or provides certain services to, a covered entity that involve the use or disclosure of individually identifiable health information. Business associate functions or activities on behalf of a covered entity include:
o claims processing or administration;
o data analysis, processing or administration;
o utilization review;
o quality assurance;
o billing;
o benefit management;
o practice management;
o repricing;
o legal, actuarial, accounting or consulting services;
o data aggregation;
o accreditation services;
o management or administrative services;
o financial services; and
o landlords in certain limited circumstances.