Which statement about patient information confidentiality under HIPAA is accurate?

• A. Health care providers must keep patient information strictly confidential under HIPAA laws.
• B. Information can be shared with family without consent.
• C. Confidentiality applies only to digital records.
• D. Patients have no right to access their records.

Answer: (A)

HIPAA protects patient information and sets strict rules about access and disclosure. Protected health information must be safeguarded, and disclosures are limited to what is necessary for treatment, payment, and health care operations, or what the patient has explicitly authorized or what the law requires. This is why the statement that providers must keep patient information confidential under HIPAA is accurate.

Sharing information with family without consent isn’t automatically allowed; disclosures to family typically require the patient’s permission or a specific exception when the patient cannot provide consent and the disclosure is in the patient’s best interest. Confidentiality applies to all formats, not just digital records—paper charts and any other PHI are protected. And patients do have the right to access their own records under HIPAA, with certain limits.