Which regulatory framework focuses on the healthcare industry’s data protection?

The correct choice, which pertains to data protection in the healthcare industry, is indeed HIPAA. This regulatory framework stands specifically for the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act. It was enacted to protect sensitive patient information from being disclosed without the patient's consent or knowledge. HIPAA sets the standards for the handling of health information, requiring healthcare providers, health plans, and other entities involved in healthcare to implement safeguards that ensure the confidentiality and security of health data.

This act not only mandates the secure storage of medical records but also governs how patient information can be shared, thus providing both rights to patients and responsibilities to healthcare entities. The regulations established by HIPAA are vital for maintaining patient trust and ensuring that personal health information is treated with the utmost care and respect.

In contrast, PCI DSS pertains to payment card data security, GDPR focuses on data protection and privacy in the European Union, and NIST provides guidelines and standards for a broader range of information security topics across various industries but is not tailored specifically to healthcare data. This establishes HIPAA as the most relevant framework concerning data protection in the healthcare sector.