Under which law must healthcare professionals maintain patient confidentiality?

The correct choice is associated with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), which is specifically designed to protect sensitive patient health information from being disclosed without the patient's consent or knowledge. HIPAA establishes national standards for the protection of health information, requiring healthcare professionals to ensure that personal health information remains confidential and secure.

This law applies to a variety of entities, including healthcare providers, insurance companies, and their business associates, mandating them to implement administrative, physical, and technical safeguards to maintain the privacy of patient information. Understanding and adhering to HIPAA guidelines are crucial for all healthcare professionals to build trust with patients and comply with legal obligations regarding their privacy rights.

The other options are not specifically relevant to patient confidentiality in healthcare. For instance, FERPA deals with the privacy of student education records, while the ADA relates to protections against discrimination for individuals with disabilities. PHI, which stands for Protected Health Information, describes the data that HIPAA aims to protect but is not a law in itself. Therefore, HIPAA is the law that mandates the confidentiality of patient information in healthcare settings.