Which term governs the privacy and security of patient information and defines how it may be used or disclosed?

Which term governs the privacy and security of patient information and defines how it may be used or disclosed?

• A. Confidentiality
• B. Defamation
• C. HIPAA
• D. Exploitation

Answer: (C)

HIPAA provides the legal framework that governs privacy and security of patient information and defines how it may be used or disclosed. It sets the rules for who can access health information, how it can be shared, and under what circumstances. It includes the Privacy Rule, which gives patients rights over their records, and the Security Rule, which requires safeguards for electronic PHI, plus requirements for breach notification and penalties for violations. While confidentiality is the everyday principle of keeping information secret, HIPAA specifies the actual legal standards and procedures that protect that information. Defamation and exploitation relate to different concepts—defamation to false statements harming reputation, and exploitation to misuse or abuse—rather than to the formal framework for protecting patient information.

HIPAA provides the legal framework that governs privacy and security of patient information and defines how it may be used or disclosed. It sets the rules for who can access health information, how it can be shared, and under what circumstances. It includes the Privacy Rule, which gives patients rights over their records, and the Security Rule, which requires safeguards for electronic PHI, plus requirements for breach notification and penalties for violations. While confidentiality is the everyday principle of keeping information secret, HIPAA specifies the actual legal standards and procedures that protect that information. Defamation and exploitation relate to different concepts—defamation to false statements harming reputation, and exploitation to misuse or abuse—rather than to the formal framework for protecting patient information.