Which action demonstrates HIPAA compliance?

• A. Discussing patient information in a public area
• B. Shredding documents containing PHI before disposal
• C. Posting patient details on social media
• D. Accessing a coworker's health data without authorization

Answer: (B)

Protecting patient information every step of the way is essential, and this hinges on how PHI is handled when it's no longer needed. Shredding documents that contain protected health information before disposal is a secure disposal method that prevents sensitive data from being read or reconstructed by anyone who should not have access. This physical safeguard keeps PHI from ending up in a trash pile or recycling stream where it could be seen or misused, which is precisely what HIPAA requires to minimize risk to patient privacy.

Other actions clearly compromise confidentiality: discussing patient information in a public area can expose it to bystanders, posting patient details on social media makes the data broadly accessible, and accessing a coworker’s health data without authorization breaches access controls and violates privacy protections. These scenarios illustrate how PHI can be exposed if proper safeguards aren’t followed, reinforcing why secure disposal with shredding is the correct approach.