CareAR builds SaaS solutions to enable companies and organizations improve how they deliver equipment and other related technical service to their customers and clients. Our products are primarily used to expedite problem resolution and service completion as quickly as possible. We do this via remote solve and self-solve solutions.
HIPAA applies where a “Covered Entity” as defined by HIPAA (for example, a hospital) engages a third party to perform its healthcare activities or functions that involve the use of protected health information (PHI). In these situations, HIPAA refers to the third party provider as a “Business Associate.”
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) has provided guidance interpreting HIPAA that is directly relevant here and available at this link:
https://www.hhs.gov/hipaa/for-professionals/privacy/guidance/business-associates/index.html
This DHHS guidance includes the following (italics and underlining added):
“What Is a ‘Business Associate’? A “business associate” is a person or entity that performs certain functions or activities that involve the use or disclosure of protected health information on behalf of, or provides services to, a covered entity.”
In a healthcare setting, users of CareAR products may include field service technicians who service medical or other equipment (e.g., pharmaceutical refrigeration), IT service technicians repairing/maintaining print devices, point of sale terminals or other IT-related products, or on-site guest users of these technical products who require instructions or guidance. CareAR products are not created or marketed for, or used to perform healthcare activities or functions, or as generalized person-to-person collaboration or communication tools. Rather, they are focused solutions made to enhance the technical service experience. No PHI is required for use of CareAR products or for CareAR to deliver these products, nor are these products designed or intended to receive, collect, access or disclose PHI.
In summary, no products that CareAR provides involve the “use or disclosure” of PHI so HIPAA does not apply to CareAR and CareAR is not a Business Associate under HIPAA. Similarly, when our products are used as intended, HIPAA would not apply to CareAR customers using our products to enhance the technical service experience and they also would not be considered Business Associates.
Refer to our Privacy Statement at https://carear.com/privacy-policy for additional details about the other types of personal information that we may gather about our users and how we may use that information.