What is a primary goal of the HIPAA Privacy Rule?

The primary goal of the HIPAA Privacy Rule is to safeguard individual health information. This rule was established to ensure that personal health details are protected from unauthorized access and disclosure. It sets standards for how protected health information (PHI) is handled, including who can access it and under what circumstances it can be shared. The emphasis is on giving individuals more control over their personal health information while also ensuring that healthcare providers and health plans comply with privacy standards. This foundational aspect of the Privacy Rule is crucial in maintaining trust between patients and healthcare entities, facilitating confidentiality, and ensuring compliance within the healthcare system.

The other options, while related to the healthcare system, do not encapsulate the core purpose of the Privacy Rule. For instance, promoting stricter data sharing contrasts sharply with the intent of the Privacy Rule, which seeks to limit and control the sharing of health information rather than promote it. Reducing healthcare costs and streamlining billing processes address different aspects of healthcare management and efficiency, but these goals do not directly relate to the primary aim of protecting the privacy of health information.