What does the HIPAA breach notification rule specify?

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Multiple Choice

What does the HIPAA breach notification rule specify?

The key idea being tested is what the HIPAA Breach Notification Rule requires after protected health information is compromised. It mandates that covered entities and business associates have a plan and take defined steps, including notifying affected individuals about the breach. These notifications must occur without unreasonable delay and no later than 60 days after discovery. For breaches affecting 500 or more individuals, notification to the Department of Health and Human Services—and, in many cases, to prominent media outlets—is also required. Breaches affecting fewer than 500 individuals still require notification to those individuals (and a log kept by the entity), but media notification isn’t required. The rule exists to protect privacy by ensuring timely awareness and transparency, not to say no action is needed for small breaches or to ignore privacy concerns.

The key idea being tested is what the HIPAA Breach Notification Rule requires after protected health information is compromised. It mandates that covered entities and business associates have a plan and take defined steps, including notifying affected individuals about the breach. These notifications must occur without unreasonable delay and no later than 60 days after discovery. For breaches affecting 500 or more individuals, notification to the Department of Health and Human Services—and, in many cases, to prominent media outlets—is also required. Breaches affecting fewer than 500 individuals still require notification to those individuals (and a log kept by the entity), but media notification isn’t required. The rule exists to protect privacy by ensuring timely awareness and transparency, not to say no action is needed for small breaches or to ignore privacy concerns.

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