Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP) Practice Exam 2025 – All-in-One Guide to Mastering Your Certification!

The regulation that specifically protects healthcare information in the United States is the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA). Enacted in 1996, HIPAA established national standards for the protection of individual medical records and other personal health information. It mandates safeguards to ensure the confidentiality, integrity, and security of healthcare data, particularly focusing on the handling of protected health information (PHI) by healthcare providers, insurers, and their business associates.

HIPAA is critical for maintaining patient privacy and securing sensitive health information from unauthorized disclosure. It encompasses provisions for administrative, physical, and technical protections to secure health information and establish rights for individuals regarding their health data. This regulation has significant implications for how healthcare organizations process, store, and transmit sensitive information, reinforcing the importance of compliance in maintaining trust between patients and healthcare professionals.

In contrast, other options do not specifically deal with healthcare information. The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) relates to the privacy of student education records, the Sarbanes-Oxley Act focuses on corporate governance and financial disclosures, and the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) is a comprehensive data privacy law that applies primarily to the European Union, not the United States.