Which statement about HIPAA is accurate?

• A. Public health surveillance.
• B. HIPAA is a federal law protecting patient health information from disclosure without the patient's consent or knowledge.
• C. Insurance payment processing only.
• D. Non-medical personal data.

Answer: (B)

HIPAA establishes federal protections for patient health information, setting strict rules about how PHI can be used and disclosed. The Privacy Rule requires safeguards and gives patients rights over their information, while disclosures are generally limited and allowed only in specific, permitted situations (such as for treatment, payment, health care operations, or certain public health activities) without individual authorization. This focus on protecting PHI from unauthorized disclosure is what makes the statement accurate. The other options don’t capture HIPAA’s scope: public health surveillance is only one potential use of PHI and doesn’t define HIPAA; the law covers more than insurance payment processing; and HIPAA concerns health information, not non-medical personal data.