Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPPA) Practice Exam

Which of the following is NOT a type of safeguard under HIPAA?

1. Administrative

2. Technical

3. Biological

4. Physical

The correct answer is: Biological

The correct answer is biological because it does not represent a safeguard category defined under HIPAA. HIPAA outlines three primary categories of safeguards that organizations must implement to protect sensitive health information: administrative, technical, and physical safeguards. Administrative safeguards include policies and procedures designed to manage the selection, development, implementation, and maintenance of security measures that protect electronic protected health information (ePHI). Examples include workforce training and conducting risk assessments. Technical safeguards involve the technology and the policy and procedures for its use that protect ePHI and control access to it. This includes encryption, access controls, and audit controls to ensure the confidentiality and integrity of information. Physical safeguards are the physical measures, policies, and procedures to protect a healthcare entity’s electronic information systems and related buildings and equipment from natural and environmental hazards, as well as unauthorized intrusion. This includes facility access controls and workstation security. Biological safeguards do not fit within these categories as outlined by HIPAA, hence why it is identified as the option that does not belong.