Final answer:
The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) of 1996 is the national standard that requires healthcare providers to protect patient's health information, necessitating written consent for disclosure. HIPAA emphasizes the privacy of electronic health records and informed consent, providing robust safeguards against unauthorized access or disclosure of patient information.
Step-by-step explanation:
The national standard that addresses the obligations of health care providers to protect a patient's health information and requires written consent and authorization is the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA). Passed into law in 1996, HIPAA sets forth standards for maintaining the confidentiality of protected health information (PHI). It mandates that covered entities, which include healthcare providers, health plans, and healthcare clearinghouses, protect the privacy of patient records and only disclose information to authorized individuals.
Informed consent plays a crucial role in protecting patient autonomy, ensuring that patients are aware of and consent to any sharing of their health information. Consent is also essential in research and clinical trials, to protect participants from exploitation and to uphold ethical standards.
Within HIPAA, there is an emphasis on the privacy of electronic health records. As healthcare systems move towards digital formats to improve health care quality and reduce costs, maintaining the strict confidentiality and security of electronic patient data is paramount. The rule extends to sharing digital records among health providers, which must be done in a manner that protects patient privacy.