Certified in Healthcare Compliance (CHC) Practice Test 2025 - Free CHC Practice Questions and Study Resources

The requirement for covered entities to inform individuals about unauthorized access to their information is known as breach notification. This concept is rooted in regulations such as the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), which mandates that when a breach of unsecured protected health information occurs, affected individuals must be notified promptly.

Breach notification serves several critical purposes: it helps individuals understand if their personal data has been compromised, allows them to take appropriate actions to protect themselves from potential harm, and promotes accountability within organizations that handle sensitive health information. By enforcing breach notification requirements, regulatory frameworks aim to maintain the integrity and trust of healthcare systems by ensuring transparency around data security incidents.

The other options do not specifically encapsulate the obligation for covered entities to inform individuals about unauthorized access. For instance, while the term "data protection obligation" may refer to a broader duty to safeguard information, it does not specifically address the notification aspect. "Transparency requirement" could imply various communication obligations but lacks the specific context of compromised data security. Lastly, "security accountability" focuses on the responsibility of entities to manage and oversee the security of information, which again does not directly correspond to the act of notifying individuals about breaches.