Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPPA) Practice Exam

Which of the following is not a common cause of breaches in health information?

1. Intentional unauthorized access

2. Natural disasters

3. Human error

4. Lost or stolen devices

The correct answer is: Natural disasters

Natural disasters are not typically considered a common cause of breaches in health information because they are largely unpredictable and not related to human actions that compromise data security. While natural disasters can certainly affect access to data and disrupt operations, the breaches that lead to unauthorized access of sensitive health information mostly stem from deliberate acts or mistakes made by humans. On the other hand, intentional unauthorized access represents a deliberate act where individuals can exploit security vulnerabilities with the aim to compromise data privacy. Human error encompasses a wide range of unintentional actions, such as mistakenly sending patient information to the wrong recipient or misplacing documents containing sensitive information. Similarly, lost or stolen devices are among the prevalent causes of breaches, especially when individuals have access to unencrypted data that can be accessed by unauthorized users if the device falls into the wrong hands. Therefore, it's the nature of common causes that distinguishes natural disasters from the others.