What rights does HIPAA grant to patients regarding their health information?

HIPAA, or the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, establishes fundamental rights for patients concerning their protected health information (PHI). Among these rights, patients are empowered to access their health records, which allows them to review the information that healthcare providers maintain about them. Furthermore, patients have the ability to request amendments to their records if they believe the information is inaccurate or incomplete, thereby ensuring that their health records remain current and correct.

Additionally, HIPAA allows patients to request restrictions on how their PHI is used and shared. This means that patients can limit certain disclosures of their health information to third parties, providing them with a greater level of control over their personal data and ensuring their privacy preferences are respected.

This combination of rights fulfills the core principles of HIPAA, focusing on patient autonomy and the protection of health information. The other options do not accurately reflect the specific rights granted by HIPAA. For instance, while patients can file complaints regarding HIPAA violations, there is no inherent right to compensation for violations under HIPAA, nor does the law provide explicit rights to audit records or file complaints directly with healthcare providers regarding their handling of PHI without following specific protocols.