Which one of the following choices is a HIPAA mandate?

The correct answer emphasizes a critical aspect of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), which mandates the protection of patient health information. Ensuring that computers with confidential patient information are secure is a fundamental requirement under HIPAA's Privacy and Security Rules. These rules establish standards for the protection of electronic protected health information (ePHI), aiming to safeguard individuals' medical records and other personal health information held by healthcare providers.

This involves implementing necessary technical safeguards to prevent unauthorized access, such as using secure passwords, encryption, and firewalls. The requirement highlights the importance of maintaining confidentiality and integrity of patient data within healthcare environments, ensuring that sensitive information is not disclosed without proper authorization.

The other options, while related to the medical field and ethics, do not directly address HIPAA mandates. For instance, ensuring that the medical assistant understands how their actions reflect on the physician pertains more to professional conduct and reputation rather than patient information protection. Similarly, having a code of ethics for medical assistants and informing individuals about making gifts of body parts for research deal with ethical and legal standards but are not specific HIPAA requirements.