Which regulatory body oversees the privacy and security of health information in the United States?

The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is the regulatory body that oversees the privacy and security of health information in the United States. This responsibility is primarily carried out through the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), which establishes standards for the protection of individual health information. HHS is involved in creating regulations that enforce privacy protections and ensuring compliance by various entities within the healthcare system, such as healthcare providers, insurers, and clearinghouses.

The HHS not only defines the framework for health information privacy but also handles the enforcement of these regulations, making it the primary authority in this area. It plays a critical role in developing policies that safeguard the confidentiality of health information and rights of individuals regarding their data. This focus on privacy and security distinguishes HHS from other entities like the CDC, FDA, or NIH, which have different roles in the healthcare landscape, such as disease prevention, drug regulation, and biomedical research, respectively.