Definition · General
Business associate agreement (BAA)
Also known as: BAA, business associate agreement, HIPAA BAA
A business associate agreement (BAA) is a HIPAA-required contract between a healthcare provider and a vendor that handles protected health information on its behalf. It binds the vendor to safeguard PHI, limits how it may be used, and makes the vendor directly liable under HIPAA. Without a signed BAA, the vendor cannot lawfully process PHI.
In our data
Across the 24 AI Receptionists vendors we track, 5 publish HIPAA support and 4 name a signed BAA on their public pages.
Computed from the AI Receptionists dataset, as of . Every figure is sourced and dated; we record an unpublished value as "not published," never as "no."
The BAA is the document that turns a vendor's "HIPAA compliant" claim into an enforceable obligation. Under HIPAA, a covered entity (the provider) may disclose PHI to a business associate (the vendor) only if there is a written BAA in place. The agreement specifies the permitted uses of PHI, requires safeguards, mandates breach notification, and extends HIPAA liability to the vendor directly.
For a buyer, the BAA is the gating fact — more decisive than a badge. A vendor can describe its product as secure or "HIPAA-ready" yet decline to sign a BAA, or offer one only on an enterprise tier at a higher price. If your business is a healthcare provider and the software will touch any patient information — an appointment tied to a name, a recorded medical call, an SMS reminder — you need the signed BAA, not just the marketing language.
Because a BAA is a real contractual and often commercial commitment, far fewer vendors offer one than claim "HIPAA compliance." The gap between the two is exactly what a regulated buyer must check before purchase.