The Office for Civil Rights (OCR) identifies a facility's refusal to let individuals access their own protected health information (PHI) as which compliance issue?

The situation described pertains to an individual's rights regarding their protected health information (PHI). The Office for Civil Rights (OCR) emphasizes that individuals have a right to access their own health information under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA). When a facility refuses to allow this access, it directly violates the patient’s rights established under HIPAA regulations.

Refusing access to PHI can hinder a patient’s ability to make informed decisions about their care and treatment, which is a fundamental aspect of patient autonomy and rights. The correct understanding here aligns with the OCR's focus on promoting patient rights to access their health information. In this context, the correct answer underscores the importance of facilitating access to health records as an essential patient right, rather than merely highlighting inadequate access, which might imply partial satisfaction of rights rather than a complete violation.

The other choices touch upon relevant issues in healthcare compliance but do not directly address the core issue found in the refusal to provide access to PHI. For example, inadequate staff training relates to the competence and knowledge of staff regarding HIPAA compliance, while improper data storage pertains to the security and protection of PHI rather than the access and rights aspect. Each of these concerns plays a role within the broader context of compliance,