Business Associate Agreement

Bia

This BUSINESS ASSOCIATE AGREEMENT (“BAA”) is made and entered at the time you accept the agreement and create your account (“Effective Date”) and is between you (“Covered Entity”) and MyTherapy LLC d/b/a/ Bia (“Business Associate”). In this BAA, Covered Entity and Business Associate are each a “Party” and, collectively, are the “Parties”.

Definitions:

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.

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

(b) Provider. “Provider” shall mean a user interacting with the functionality on Bia offered specifically to therapists, counselors, and other mental health providers. In the context of this agreement the Covered Entity is a Provider.

Overview

Bia provides a website, app, and various tools (the “Services”) for clients to overcome phobia. The ‘provider portal’ feature allows providers to connect with clients. Acceptance of this agreement is required to access the provider portal feature. If you do not agree with this BAA, do not use the site.

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. In the event of a breach the business associate will execute it’s data breach response plan which includes;

Business Associate will report the breach to relevant authorities
Business Associate will notify impacted clients of the data breach

(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 ”covered entity” as necessary to satisfy covered entity’s obligations under 45 CFR 164.524;

(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;

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

(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 Terms of Service Agreement.

(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 provided that such use or disclosure would not violate any applicable state law if done by Covered Entity

(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

(e) Business associate may use protected health information for the proper management and administration of the business associate or to carry out the legal responsibilities of the business associate.

(f) 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 on the day it is accepted during account creation, and shall terminate if and when the Covered Provider closes their account with the business associate 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

Upon termination of this Agreement for any reason, business associate shall return to covered entity or, if agreed to by covered entity, destroy all protected health information received from covered entity, or created, maintained, or received by business associate on behalf of covered entity, that the business associate still maintains in any form. Business associate shall retain no copies of the protected health information.

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 above 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.

For questions or comments about the BAA, please email us at support@biajourney.com.

Last Update: April 24, 2023