Under HIPAA privacy standards, which practice is required?

• A. Keep patient information confidential and shared only with authorized individuals
• B. Share patient information with any insurer without consent
• C. Publish patient data for research without authorization
• D. Never disclose any information under any circumstances

Answer: (A)

HIPAA privacy standards require you to keep patient information confidential and share it only with individuals who are authorized to access it. This means disclosures should be limited to those who need the information to provide care, process payments, or run health care operations, and only with the patient’s authorization or as allowed by law. The idea is to protect the patient’s privacy while still enabling appropriate care and administrative tasks.

This is the best approach because it upholds confidentiality and ensures information is shared only when there’s a legitimate need or a permitted exception. Sharing with an insurer without consent isn’t allowed unless there’s a permissible disclosure, publishing data for research without authorization bypasses safeguards, and saying never disclose under any circumstances overlooks legitimate, required, or allowed disclosures for treatment, payment, or public health.