Internertional Association for Healthcare Security and Safety (IAHSS) Basic Officer Certification Practice Exam

Which term describes unauthorized access to or disclosure of protected health information?

1. Data breach

2. Health fraud

3. Crisis intervention

4. Incident report

The correct answer is: Data breach

The term that describes unauthorized access to or disclosure of protected health information is a data breach. In the context of healthcare, a data breach involves the violation of HIPAA regulations, which are designed to protect sensitive patient information. This can occur due to various reasons, such as hacking, mishandling of data, or accidental sharing of information without proper authorization. A data breach not only poses significant risks to patient privacy but can also result in legal repercussions for healthcare organizations, including fines and loss of trust from patients. It's important for healthcare security professionals to understand this term as it is fundamental to their role in safeguarding sensitive information and complying with legal regulations. While health fraud pertains to illegal acts aimed at obtaining unauthorized benefits or financial gains in healthcare, crisis intervention generally refers to immediate responses to an individual in a mental health crisis, and an incident report is a document that records details of an event, but does not specifically denote unauthorized access to health information. Thus, the specific focus on unauthorized disclosure and access to protected health information makes data breach the most accurate term to describe this situation.