What does the HIPAA policy inform the patient regarding health information?

The HIPAA policy, which stands for the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, is designed to safeguard patient privacy and ensure the confidentiality of health information. One of the primary tenets of HIPAA is that patients must be informed about how their health information will be used and disclosed. The correct answer indicates that health information will not be used or disclosed for purposes other than treatment, which aligns with the law's requirement to protect patient privacy.

Under HIPAA, healthcare providers are required to limit the use of health information strictly to clinical treatment, payment, and healthcare operations unless explicit consent is obtained from the patient for other purposes. This means that marketing or sharing information with outside parties—like insurance companies—without patient authorization would violate HIPAA regulations. Thus, informing patients that their health information will only be used for treatment reinforces their understanding of their rights under the law and assures them that their private information is being handled responsibly and ethically.

The other choices do not reflect HIPAA's protections accurately. For instance, using health information for marketing purposes without consent and sharing it freely with insurance providers would compromise patient confidentiality, while stating that health information will be stored indefinitely does not account for the legal requirements regarding data retention and disposal.