Question

Under which law must healthcare enterprises guard protected health information and implement policies and procedures to safeguard it, whether it be in paper or electronic format?

Option 1: HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act).
Option 2: FERPA (Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act).
Option 3: GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation).
Option 4: HITECH Act (Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act).

Answer 1

Healthcare enterprises must safeguard protected health information under HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act), which sets standards for the protection of patient information.

Step-by-step explanation:

Healthcare enterprises must guard protected health information and implement policies and procedures to safeguard it under the HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act). HIPAA, which was passed into law in 1996, sets the standards for the protection of patient information. It requires businesses that deal with health information, such as insurance companies and healthcare providers, to maintain strict confidentiality of patient records. Failure to comply with HIPAA regulations can lead to significant penalties. Unlike HIPAA, the FERPA (Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act) focuses on the privacy of student education records, while the GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation) deals with data protection and privacy in the European Union. The HITECH Act (Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act) promotes the adoption and meaningful use of health information technology but also expands certain provisions of HIPAA, particularly those relating to enforcement and breach notification rules.