HIPAA HIO-201 Exam - Topic 1 Question 103 Discussion

Actual exam question for HIPAA's HIO-201 exam

Question #: 103
Topic #: 1

[All HIO-201 Questions]

Choose the best example of a business associate (if they had access to PHI).

DCEO of the covered entity

EThe covered entity's billing service department

CA covered entity's internal IT department

BHospital employees

AAccountants

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Suggested Answer: A

by Graham at Jan 23, 2026, 09:52 AM

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Felix

2 months ago

No, they don’t directly handle it. Only billing does.

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Mattie

2 months ago

What about a cloud storage provider?

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Juliann

2 months ago

I agree! They handle PHI for payments.

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Tabetha

2 months ago

This is tricky! I think a billing company fits.

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Shasta

4 months ago

Sounds risky, how do we know they actually protect the data?

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Gail

4 months ago

Yup, that's right! They have to sign a BA agreement first.

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Caren

4 months ago

Wait, are you saying vendors can access patient info?

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Nada

4 months ago

Totally agree, they need to follow HIPAA rules too!

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Mirta

4 months ago

A business associate is anyone who handles PHI for a covered entity.

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Mary

4 months ago

Haha, the hospital clown is the obvious choice! They have access to everything and no one would suspect them.

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Berry

5 months ago

The hospital cafeteria worker. They're in the building and could potentially snoop around.

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Annelle

5 months ago

The IT technician who maintains the hospital's computer systems seems like the best example.

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Zana

5 months ago

I'd say the janitor. They clean the offices and could easily access patient files.

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Rutha

5 months ago

The doctor's receptionist, of course. They have access to all our medical records!

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Barney

5 months ago

I’m confused about whether a contractor who provides services but doesn’t see the PHI is still considered a business associate. I need to review that part again.

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Tamra

5 months ago

I feel like it could also be a cloud storage service, but I can't recall if they count as a business associate unless they have direct access to PHI.

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Rosalia

6 months ago

I remember a practice question about vendors accessing PHI, so I guess that could be a business associate too, right?

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Serina

6 months ago

I think a business associate is someone like a billing company that handles patient information, but I'm not entirely sure if that fits the definition.

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Dannie

7 months ago

This question is making me a little nervous. I want to make sure I fully understand the definition of a business associate before answering.

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Merri

7 months ago

I feel pretty confident about this. I remember discussing business associates in class, so I think I can narrow it down to the best example.

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Sharan

7 months ago

Okay, I've got a strategy for this. I'll start by listing out the common types of business associates, then evaluate which one would have the most access to PHI.

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