Which regulation governs the privacy and security of protected health information (PHI) in outpatient clinics?

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Protecting patient information in clinical settings is governed by HIPAA, which sets how PHI can be used, disclosed, and safeguarded. The Privacy Rule limits who can access PHI and under what circumstances it can be shared, while giving patients rights to access their own records and request amendments. The Security Rule specifically targets electronic PHI, requiring safeguards like access controls, encryption, authentication, audit controls, and secure transmission. In outpatient clinics, this means applying minimum necessary standards for disclosures, verifying identities before sharing PHI, and implementing administrative, physical, and technical safeguards to protect information at rest and in transit. FERPA covers student education records, not healthcare PHI; OSHA focuses on workplace safety; COBRA deals with continuation of health coverage.