Final answer:
The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) is the law that dictates the confidentiality and disclosure of personally identifiable protected health information.
Step-by-step explanation:
The law related to the disclosure of personally identifiable protected health information (PHI) is the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA). This act, established in 1996, sets standards for protecting patient information and requires entities such as insurance companies and healthcare providers to maintain the confidentiality of patient records. Disclosing PHI without consent can be a violation of HIPAA unless it falls under specific exceptions allowed by the law. In medical ethics, the challenge often arises in balancing a patient's privacy rights with the right of others, such as a sexual partner, to know about potential health risks. However, under HIPAA, the patient's consent is typically needed to share this information.