The business associate brain teaser: a look at problems involving the business associate regulations under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996.

Ms. Heitzman addresses in her article the impact of the Administration Simplification statute of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 on the protection of health information by third parties to health care transactions. These regulations were enacted, in part, to increase consumers' trust in the health care system. However, their impact on business associates that come into contact with the health care entities has been a source of contention and confusion since they were drafted. This article concludes that the current regulations are too ambiguous and complex to achieve the goals of protection of privacy and Congress' goal of simplifying administration.