HIPAA Minimum Necessary Standard 4

Question 1

A hospital billing department receives a request for PHI from a health plan. Under the Minimum Necessary Standard, what should the hospital do?

Accepted Answer

Provide only the information reasonably necessary to fulfill the billing request

Answer

Covered entities must make reasonable efforts to limit disclosures to only the PHI needed for the specific purpose, such as billing.

Question 2

Which of the following disclosures is EXEMPT from the Minimum Necessary Standard under HIPAA?

Accepted Answer

Disclosures to the patient themselves

Answer

Disclosures made directly to the individual who is the subject of the PHI are explicitly exempt from the Minimum Necessary Standard.

Question 3

A covered entity's workforce member accesses PHI of a family member who is also a patient. This most likely violates which standard?

Accepted Answer

The Minimum Necessary Standard and workforce access controls

Answer

Accessing PHI beyond one's job role violates the Minimum Necessary Standard, which requires limiting access to those who need it for their work functions.

Question 4

Under the Minimum Necessary Standard, how should a covered entity treat routine or recurring requests for PHI?

Accepted Answer

Entities may develop standard protocols identifying what PHI is typically needed for such requests

Answer

HIPAA allows covered entities to develop reasonable standard protocols for routine, recurring disclosures to avoid reviewing every individual request.

Question 5

A research team requests a dataset with full patient identifiers for a study. The Privacy Officer determines that de-identified data would satisfy the research purpose. What should the covered entity do?

Accepted Answer

Provide only de-identified data since it meets the research need

Answer

If the research purpose can be accomplished with de-identified data, the Minimum Necessary Standard requires providing that lesser amount of information.

HIPAA - Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act Practice Test

HIPAA - Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act Practice Test

HIPAA Minimum Necessary Standard 4