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BAA Directory

Is Outlook HIPAA compliant? Does it sign a BAA?

The answer

Signs a BAA on specific plans

Yes, when Outlook is connected to Exchange Online in an Office 365 subscription. Exchange Online is an in-scope service under Microsoft's HIPAA BAA for Office 365 Commercial and GCC subscriptions, and the BAA comes by default through Microsoft's Data Protection Addendum.

Automation and workspace. Checked on the vendor's own pages on .

Using Outlook on a healthcare site? Curve Compliance keeps your ad tracking HIPAA-compliant around it, under a BAA on every plan. Book a call

On this page

What Microsoft says

“Yes. Microsoft offers its covered entity and business associate customers a Business Associate Agreement that covers in-scope Microsoft services.”

Source: Microsoft Learn, HIPAA and HITECH Act, checked .

“Users connect to Exchange Online using apps like Outlook, Outlook on the web, or Outlook mobile app to access email and collaboration functionality, including shared mailboxes, shared calendars and global address lists.”

Source: Microsoft Learn, Exchange Online, checked .

What the BAA covers and excludes

Covers, in Microsoft's words:

  • Microsoft's in-scope list for Office 365 Commercial and GCC subscriptions includes "Exchange Online", the service Outlook connects to for work email. (Microsoft Learn, HIPAA and HITECH Act)

Excludes or limits, in Microsoft's words:

  • "However, using Microsoft services doesn't on its own achieve HIPAA compliance."

What this means for ad tracking

Lead notifications, form alerts and patient replies land in Outlook for many practices, so an inbox can hold details that tie a person to their care.

A BAA with Microsoft covers that email in Exchange Online. It does not cover Meta or Google Ads, and Microsoft's in-scope list on that page does not include Microsoft Advertising, so conversions from your site need their own route to your ad platforms.

Curve Compliance closes that gap: it sends the conversion itself server-side, under a BAA it signs on every plan, so your campaigns keep a conversion signal without a pixel carrying patient data. Book a call to see it on your own funnel.

A business associate agreement binds only the vendor that signs it, so each vendor that handles patient information for you needs its own.

How Curve helps

  • Keep Outlook for what it does well. Curve carries the conversion signal to your ad platforms separately, under its own BAA.
  • Server-side conversion tracking in place of pixels: conversions reach your ad platforms from Curve's server, not from the patient's browser.
  • A fixed field list per platform, so each ad platform receives only the fields set for it.
  • PHI-like pattern detection checks every event before it goes out, and neutral event names keep conditions and treatments out of what the platforms see.
  • When identifiers are enabled, Curve hashes them with SHA-256.
  • Consent management for your site, alongside the tracking.
  • A HIPAA-compliant setup done by Curve's team, with a BAA signed on every plan.

Book a call with Curve and Curve's team will walk through your tracking setup with you.

Frequently asked questions

Is Outlook HIPAA compliant?

Yes, when Outlook is connected to Exchange Online in an Office 365 subscription. Exchange Online is an in-scope service under Microsoft's HIPAA BAA for Office 365 Commercial and GCC subscriptions, and the BAA comes by default through Microsoft's Data Protection Addendum. With a signed BAA, Outlook can handle patient information for you, set up the way the vendor describes. The BAA does not cover ad pixels or tags on the same pages, because they send data to other companies.

Does Outlook sign a BAA?

Yes, when Outlook is connected to Exchange Online in an Office 365 subscription. Exchange Online is an in-scope service under Microsoft's HIPAA BAA for Office 365 Commercial and GCC subscriptions, and the BAA comes by default through Microsoft's Data Protection Addendum. In Microsoft's words: “Yes. Microsoft offers its covered entity and business associate customers a Business Associate Agreement that covers in-scope Microsoft services.” We checked Microsoft's own pages on October 5, 2026.

Is a personal Outlook.com account covered by a BAA?

Microsoft's in-scope list names Exchange Online for Office 365 Commercial and GCC subscriptions, and Microsoft says users connect to Exchange Online through Outlook, Outlook on the web or the Outlook mobile app. The list does not name Outlook.com, Microsoft's personal email service, so keep PHI out of a personal Outlook.com account.

Does a BAA with Outlook cover my ad pixels?

No. A BAA covers the data Microsoft handles for you. A pixel sends data from the visitor's browser straight to Meta, Google or TikTok, and none of those platforms is a party to your BAA with Microsoft.

Does Curve Compliance sign a BAA?

Yes. Curve Compliance signs a BAA on every plan, and Curve's team does the HIPAA-compliant setup for you. Book a call to get started.

Sources

Last checked . Vendors change their plans and terms, so confirm the current terms with Microsoft before you send it patient data.

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Track ad conversions under a BAA

Curve signs a BAA on every plan. Curve's team sets up HIPAA-compliant conversion tracking for you in about a week, sending conversions server-side in place of pixels.

Book a call