200-201 Security Policies and Procedures Practice Question
A hospital must protect patient records under a regulation that specifies administrative, physical, and technical safeguards for electronic protected health information. Which U.S. regulation establishes these requirements?
⚠ Common exam trap
Many candidates confuse broadly similar privacy laws, when only one regulation is built around administrative, physical, and technical safeguards for health data.
Answer choices
Why each option matters
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
HIPAA Security Rule
The HIPAA Security Rule is the U.S. regulation that requires covered entities to implement administrative, physical, and technical safeguards for electronic protected health information. Its three safeguard categories map directly to the scenario, and compliance is enforced through risk analysis and documented policies rather than a prescriptive control checklist.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
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SOX
Why it's wrong here
The Sarbanes-Oxley Act focuses on financial reporting integrity and internal controls for publicly traded companies. It drives IT general controls around financial systems, such as change management and segregation of duties, but it does not regulate the privacy or security of patient health records. Its scope is financial disclosure and investor protection, so it is not the framework that imposes safeguards on electronic protected health information.
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HIPAA Security Rule
Why this is correct
The HIPAA Security Rule sets national standards for protecting electronic protected health information and is organized precisely around administrative, physical, and technical safeguards. It applies to covered entities such as hospitals and to their business associates. The rule requires risk analysis, access controls, audit controls, integrity controls, and transmission security, making it the direct match for the scenario's described obligations.
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GDPR
Why it's wrong here
The General Data Protection Regulation is a European Union privacy law that governs personal data of individuals in the EU and has extraterritorial reach. It emphasizes lawful processing, data subject rights, and breach notification rather than the administrative, physical, and technical safeguard structure described. A U.S. hospital treating domestic patients would look to HIPAA first, though GDPR could apply if it offers services to or monitors individuals in the EU.
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PCI DSS
Why it's wrong here
PCI DSS is a payment card industry standard that governs how merchants and service providers protect cardholder data such as primary account numbers. It applies to organizations that store, process, or transmit credit card data, not to the safeguarding of patient medical records. A hospital may need to comply with PCI DSS for its payment systems, but that standard does not define the administrative, physical, and technical safeguards for protected health information.
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JA
Written and reviewed by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
Last reviewed September 2026 · checked against the official Cisco exam blueprint
This 200-201 practice question is part of Courseiva's free Cisco certification practice question bank. Courseiva provides original exam-style practice questions with explanations, topic-based practice, mock exams, readiness tracking, and study analytics to help learners prepare for the 200-201 exam.