Which law protects a patient's private health information?

The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) is the legislation designed specifically to protect a patient's private health information. It establishes national standards for the protection of health information, ensuring that patients' medical records and other personal health information are kept confidential and secure. Under HIPAA, healthcare providers, insurance companies, and other entities that handle health information must take specific measures to safeguard this data and provide patients with certain rights regarding their health information, such as the right to access their records or request corrections.

The other laws mentioned do not serve the same purpose. For instance, the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) primarily protects the privacy of student education records, which does not encompass health information specifically. The PHI Act is not a recognized federal law in this context, and the term "Patient Privacy Law" is too vague and not a specific legal reference comparable to HIPAA. Hence, HIPAA is the correct choice for the protection of private health information.