What federal law outlines standards to protect sensitive patient health information?

The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) is the federal law that establishes standards to protect sensitive patient health information. It sets regulations regarding the privacy and security of health care information, ensuring that personal health information remains confidential and is only accessed or shared under defined circumstances. HIPAA applies to health plans, health care clearinghouses, and health care providers that transmit any health information in electronic form during a transaction. This law is crucial in maintaining patient trust and safeguarding the privacy of their medical records.

In contrast, FERPA (Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act) focuses on protecting the privacy of student education records, ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) prohibits discrimination based on disability, and FMLA (Family and Medical Leave Act) provides eligible employees with unpaid, job-protected leave for specified family and medical reasons. Each of these laws addresses different areas of personal information protection and civil rights, but none address health information privacy as directly as HIPAA.