What is the Privacy Rule?

The Privacy Rule is a critical component of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) that establishes national standards for the protection of individuals' medical records and other personal health information. This regulation is designed to safeguard patients' privacy by setting limits on the use and disclosure of their health information without explicit consent.

By providing these national standards, the Privacy Rule creates a framework that healthcare providers, insurers, and other entities must follow to ensure that protected health information (PHI) is handled securely and confidentially. This includes stipulations on how health information can be shared, the rights patients have over their information, and the obligations of healthcare entities in protecting this data.

The other options, while they touch on important aspects of healthcare administration, do not specifically define what the Privacy Rule entails. They reflect broader concepts that may intersect with HIPAA, but the essence of the Privacy Rule directly relates to the protection and privacy of health information specifically, making it the correct answer in this context.