What is the purpose of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA)? (A) To monitor quality of care in facilities (B) To protect and secure the privacy of health information (C) To reduce instances of abuse in facilities (D) To provide health insurance for unin- sured elderly people

## Step 1<br />The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) is a federal law that was enacted in the United States in 1996. This law was established to modernize the flow of healthcare information, stipulate how personally identifiable information held by the healthcare and healthcare insurance industries should be protected from fraud and theft, and to provide certain rights to patients regarding their medical records.<br />## Step 2<br />The primary purpose of HIPAA is to protect and secure the privacy of health information. This is done by establishing standards to protect the privacy of personal health information.<br />## Step 3<br />The other options, such as monitoring the quality of care in facilities, reducing instances of abuse in facilities, and providing health insurance for uninsured elderly people, are not the primary purposes of HIPAA.