Which approach protects patient privacy when sharing information for care coordination?

• A. Share information after a significant delay and only upon written approval
• B. Share only necessary information with approved individuals; use secure channels; obtain consent
• C. Post patient information publicly
• D. Use insecure channels to speed sharing

Answer: (B)

The idea being tested is how to balance protecting patient privacy with the need to share information for care coordination. The best choice emphasizes sharing only what’s necessary with people who have a legitimate need to know, using secure channels, and obtaining patient consent. This approach minimizes exposure of sensitive data by limiting disclosures to those who need it, protects the information from interception or unauthorized access through encrypted or secure systems, and respects patient autonomy by documenting consent for disclosures.

Why this fits: Care coordination requires information to be accessible to the right clinicians and teams, but not everyone should see every detail. Limiting sharing to what is necessary reduces risk, while secure channels prevent breaches that could occur through email, text, or other insecure methods. Obtaining consent ensures the patient is involved in decisions about who sees their information and for what purpose, which is both ethical and often legally required.

Less appropriate options fail because one introduces unnecessary delays or barriers to care, another makes data publicly available, and the last uses insecure methods that expose information to unauthorized people.