What health law is designed to protect patient health information?

The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) is the key legislation designed to protect patient health information. Enacted in 1996, HIPAA establishes national standards for the protection of individuals' medical records and other personal health information. It requires healthcare providers and organizations to implement safeguards to ensure confidentiality and security, thereby granting patients rights over their health information, including the ability to access and request corrections to their records.

The importance of HIPAA lies in its role in preventing unauthorized access to sensitive health information, reducing the risk of identity theft, and enhancing the overall integrity of healthcare systems. It applies to health plans, healthcare clearinghouses, and providers that conduct certain healthcare transactions electronically, ensuring that they maintain compliance with privacy and security requirements.

Other options, such as the Affordable Care Act, primarily focus on health insurance coverage and access to care, while the Health Information Technology Act supports the adoption of electronic health records but does not specifically address the privacy and security of patient information as comprehensively as HIPAA. The Patient Privacy Restoration Act, though it suggests a focus on patient privacy, is not a recognized law in the same context as HIPAA. This understanding underscores the critical role HIPAA plays in regulating the handling of health information and protecting the rights