To comply with HIPAA, under usual circumstances, a covered entity must act on a patient's request to review or copy his or her health information within how many days?

A covered entity is required under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) to respond to an individual's request to access their health information within 30 days. This timeframe is designed to ensure that patients have relatively prompt access to their medical records, which is essential for maintaining transparency and allowing individuals to be engaged in their own health care.

If the covered entity is unable to provide access within the 30-day period, they must inform the individual of the reasons for the delay and provide a projected date by which the requested information will be available. This regulatory requirement emphasizes the importance placed on patient rights to review and obtain their health information in a timely manner, supporting the overall goals of HIPAA in protecting patient privacy and enhancing the ability of individuals to manage their health information effectively.

This timeframe reflects the objective of balancing patient access with the administrative processing involved in retrieving and providing accurate health information.