Clinical training relationships and student health services increasingly place colleges and universities at the crossroads of healthcare regulation, accreditation standards, and privacy requirements.
In Thompson Coburn’s recent webinar, Where the Campus Meets the Clinic: Affiliation Agreements, Student Health Centers, and Privacy Pitfalls in Higher Education, partners Scott Goldschmidt, Milada Goturi, and April Kirkley drew on their higher education and healthcare experience to walk institutions through the most common legal and operational challenges that arise when campuses intersect with clinical environments.
Much of the discussion focused on the importance of clearly structured clinical affiliation agreements. Panelists emphasized that these agreements are often the first and best line of defense when issues arise, whether related to patient safety, student supervision, or liability exposure. Clear delineation between academic oversight and patient‑care control, thoughtful approaches to situations warranting student removal from clinical rotations, and flexible placement planning were all highlighted as ways institutions can balance educational needs with operational realities at clinical sites.
The webinar also explored evolving challenges in student health center operations and privacy compliance. As student health services expand to include telehealth, ancillary diagnostics, and new technologies such as AI documentation tools, institutions must regularly reassess licensing requirements, consent processes, and payment practices. A significant portion of the conversation addressed the intersection between FERPA and HIPAA, underscoring that which law applies depends heavily on how a student health center is structured, staffed, and used.
Key Takeaways
- Affiliation agreements should clearly specify responsibility for patient care, academic supervision, student removal, indemnification, insurance, and compliance with facility policies.
- Students rotating at clinical sites are treated as part of the healthcare provider’s HIPAA “workforce,” making onboarding, HIPAA training, and compliance with privacy policies critical contract terms.
- Indemnification and insurance provisions work best when they are aligned with realistic risk exposure rather than overly broad assumptions.
- FERPA generally governs student health records of university‑run, student‑only health centers, while HIPAA may apply when non‑students are treated and services are billed to health insurance.
- Student health centers should regularly reassess licensing, telehealth compliance, consent forms, and payment practices as services and technologies evolve.
To explore these issues in greater depth and hear practical examples from both sides of the campus‑clinic relationship, watch the full webinar here.
