What legislation focuses on the use of encryption and follows HIPAA?

The Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act (HITECH) is the correct answer because it directly addresses the use of encryption and other security measures to protect electronic health information. HITECH was enacted as part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 and aims to promote the meaningful use of health information technology. One of its key components is to enhance the privacy and security provisions of HIPAA, particularly concerning how electronic health information is handled.

HITECH specifically encourages the adoption of encryption as a standard practice to secure electronic health records (EHRs). It also imposes stricter penalties for violations of health information security, thereby fostering a more robust framework for safeguarding sensitive health information against breaches, which can include the misuse of data through inadequate encryption practices.

While HIPAA governs the protection of health information, HITECH expanded upon it by outlining further regulations and the importance of technological safeguards, such as encryption, in the healthcare sector. The other options do not primarily focus on encryption or are not directly related to HIPAA; thus, they do not serve as the correct references for this specific context regarding encryption in healthcare legislation.