Final answer:
The set of patient privacy rules that must be followed by healthcare entities is the Health Information Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), which was established to protect sensitive patient health information and ensure confidentiality.
Step-by-step explanation:
The set of patient privacy rules that all health care providers, insurance companies, physicians' offices, hospitals, and pharmacies must follow is known as the Health Information Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA). Established in 1996, HIPAA is a federal law that sets the standard for the protection of sensitive patient health information. It mandates that covered entities, like health care providers and insurance businesses, maintain stringent confidentiality regarding patient records to prevent unauthorized disclosure of any individually identifiable health information.
When considering the management of health records, the protection of patient information often poses a challenging balance. Some imperative questions that need to be addressed in policy development include: How can the costs of treatments and diagnoses be balanced with the patient’s quality of life and privacy risks? What ethical considerations should guide the decision-making process when a patient's privacy rights conflict with public health concerns? And, how can digital records be shared among health providers to improve care without compromising patient privacy?
The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA), also known as Obamacare, and HIPAA are both critical pieces of legislation that aim to reform and protect healthcare in the United States. While the PPACA seeks to expand coverage and access to healthcare, HIPAA provides security for the privacy of individual health information.