What does the Privacy Rule of HIPAA protect?

The Privacy Rule of HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act) is designed to safeguard individually identifiable health information, which is any information that can identify an individual and relates to their health condition, healthcare provision, or payment for healthcare services. This protection extends to all forms of health information, whether it is collected, stored, or transmitted—whether electronically, on paper, or orally.

This rule ensures that patients’ personal health information is kept confidential and secure, promoting trust between healthcare providers and patients. The focus on individually identifiable health information underscores the rule’s aim to protect the privacy and rights of patients, allowing them to feel secure in sharing their health information without fear of unwarranted disclosure.

The other options do not capture the full scope of what the Privacy Rule protects. For instance, limiting the protection to only electronic transmissions or focusing solely on billing information does not encompass the wider variety of health information that the rule aims to protect. Similarly, customer feedback, while related to healthcare services, does not fall under the specific protections of the Privacy Rule as it is not primarily concerning individually identifiable health information.