US Medical Term · regulatory
Business Associate
Socio Comercial
In 9 languages
| Language | Term |
|---|---|
| English | Business Associate |
| Spanish (Español) | Socio Comercial |
| Chinese (中文) | 商业伙伴 |
| Korean (한국어) | 사업 관련자 |
| Vietnamese (Tiếng Việt) | Đối tác kinh doanh |
| Filipino (Tagalog) | Kasosyong Negosyo |
| Portuguese (Português) | Parceiro Comercial |
| Thai (ภาษาไทย) | ผู้ร่วมธุรกิจ |
| Japanese (日本語) | 業務委託先 |
What it means
Under the federal HIPAA Privacy Rule, a business associate is any company or individual that performs services for a HIPAA-covered entity—such as a hospital, clinic, or health insurer—and in doing so, creates, receives, maintains, or transmits your protected health information (PHI). Common business associates include billing companies, electronic health record vendors, cloud storage providers, and legal firms. Business associates are legally required to sign a Business Associate Agreement (BAA) and follow the same HIPAA privacy and security requirements as the covered entity itself. If a business associate breaches your PHI, you can file a complaint with the HHS Office for Civil Rights. Understanding who qualifies as a business associate helps you know which organizations are legally obligated to protect your health data.
How to say it
Sentences a patient might use with a doctor, nurse, pharmacist, or insurer:
The hospital's billing company is a business associate under HIPAA.
La empresa de facturación del hospital es un socio comercial bajo HIPAA.
A business associate must sign an agreement to protect my health information.
Un socio comercial debe firmar un acuerdo para proteger mi información de salud.
I filed a HIPAA complaint when a business associate leaked my medical records.
Presenté una queja de HIPAA cuando un socio comercial filtró mis registros médicos.
Where you'll see it
Related terms
Sources
Last reviewed: September 2026