Covered Entity at Stanford

Stanford Affiliated Covered Entity

HIPAA allows covered entities under common ownership or control to join together to form a “single affiliated covered entity” for purposes of compliance with HIPAA. As a health care provider, Stanford has formed what we call the Stanford Affiliated Covered Entity or SACE. The SACE includes Stanford Hospital and Clinics, Lucile Packard Children's Hospital, and the Stanford University HIPAA Components.

Image of SACE

Stanford University HIPAA Components

HIPAA applies to organizations that meet the definition of a covered entity. Stanford University is considered a hybrid entity, as some components of Stanford University meet the definition of a covered entity under HIPAA and many others do not. The areas of the University designated as covered by HIPAA are referred to as Stanford University HIPAA Components (SUHC), and are listed below:

Component Designation
Administrative Systems All
Office of Development

• Development Operations & Services

• Development Information Systems

• Stanford Medical Center Development

• Senior Associate Vice President for Development
Environmental Health & Safety

• Occupational Health Center

• IT support for the Occupational Health Center
Office of the General Counsel All
Information Security Office All
Information Technology Services All
Internal Audit & Institutional Compliance All
School of Medicine All except for the Health Improvement Program (HIP)
Office of the Vice Provost & Dean of Research

• Vice Provost & Dean of Research

• Associate Vice Provost for Research

• All members & staff for the Administrative Panels on Human Subjects Medical Research (“IRBs”)

• All other individuals responsible for and involved with investigation of scientific misconduct allegations or the IRBs
Risk Management All
Vaden Health Center All

Covered Benefits Plans

HIPAA also applies to benefits plans. As an employer Stanford University has many benefits plans. Each of the following plans is considered to be a separate covered entity under HIPAA: