Which of the following is a permissible disclosure of PHI under the Privacy Rule?

The Privacy Rule under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) outlines specific scenarios in which protected health information (PHI) can be disclosed without requiring patient consent. Disclosing PHI for treatment, payment, or healthcare operations falls under an exception that allows healthcare providers and other covered entities to share information necessary for the delivery of care, for billing purposes, and for related operational tasks.

This category includes sharing information with other healthcare providers for coordinating treatment, processing health insurance claims, ensuring quality of care, and other administrative functions. Such disclosures are fundamental to the functioning of the healthcare system and are explicitly permitted to ensure that providers can efficiently render services and maintain smooth operations.

On the other hand, disclosing PHI for marketing purposes or to family members without the patient’s consent does not allow for permissible disclosures under the Privacy Rule. Similarly, while public health notifications may sometimes fall under permissible disclosures, they require specific criteria to be met, which can vary depending on the context and intention behind the disclosure. Therefore, the best choice that aligns with the established guidelines of the Privacy Rule is the scenario involving treatment, payment, or healthcare operations.