What must covered entities do to comply with HIPAA's Privacy Rule?

The Privacy Rule under HIPAA establishes national standards to protect individuals' medical records and other personal health information (PHI). Covered entities, which include healthcare providers, health plans, and healthcare clearinghouses that transmit health information in electronic form, are required to implement various safeguards to comply with these regulations.

To ensure compliance with the Privacy Rule, covered entities must have procedures in place to protect PHI and ensure that patients can exercise their rights regarding their health information. This encompasses a range of activities, such as implementing administrative, physical, and technical safeguards, training staff on privacy practices, policies for responding to patient requests for access to their information, and mechanisms for handling complaints or potential breaches of privacy.

This option directly addresses the core purpose of the Privacy Rule, which is not only to safeguard sensitive health information against unauthorized access but also to empower patients regarding their rights over their health data, such as the right to access and request amendments to their records. By implementing these procedures, covered entities can create a secure environment for managing PHI while also providing patients with the ability to control their personal health information as legally mandated by HIPAA.

In contrast, maintaining detailed records of patient financial transactions, only reporting violations, or providing unrestricted access to all health data does