Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPPA) Practice Exam

The policy of disclosing the "minimum necessary" e-PHI addresses...

1. Access control mechanisms

2. Training requirements for employees

3. Authorizing personnel to view PHI

4. Data encryption standards

The correct answer is: Authorizing personnel to view PHI

The concept of disclosing the "minimum necessary" electronic Protected Health Information (e-PHI) pertains specifically to the principle that only the information essential for a particular purpose should be accessed or shared. This principle is embedded in HIPAA regulations to ensure that sensitive health information is not unnecessarily exposed and that privacy is maintained. By authorizing personnel to view e-PHI, it ensures that only those individuals who have a legitimate need to know for purposes such as treatment, payment, or healthcare operations are granted access. This approach reduces the risk of unauthorized access or disclosure of sensitive patient information, thus enhancing the overall security and privacy of health information. The other aspects mentioned, such as access control mechanisms, training requirements for employees, and data encryption standards, while relevant to the broader context of safeguarding e-PHI, do not specifically encapsulate the "minimum necessary" requirement as clearly as the authorization of personnel to access the information does. The principle is mainly focused on ensuring that access is restricted to what is needed for specific tasks rather than the technical or procedural safeguards themselves.