Which act requires medical offices to ensure the security and privacy of health information?

The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) is the legislation that mandates medical offices to secure and protect patient health information. Enacted in 1996, HIPAA sets national standards for the protection of individual medical records and other personal health information. The act requires healthcare providers, insurers, and their business associates to safeguard patient data from unauthorized access, ensuring that patients’ rights to privacy are upheld.

HIPAA specifically includes provisions for the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of health information, outlining the necessary measures that healthcare entities must implement. This includes physical, administrative, and technical safeguards designed to prevent breaches of patient information. As a result, compliance with HIPAA is not simply a legal obligation but also essential for maintaining trust and accountability in the healthcare system.

In contrast, the other acts listed address different aspects of healthcare policy. The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act focuses on healthcare access and cost reform rather than privacy and data security. The Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act ensures that patients receive emergency medical treatment regardless of their ability to pay, which is unrelated to health information privacy. The Social Security Act primarily deals with social welfare programs, including healthcare financing, rather than specifying regulations on health information security.