This study will explore the extent and harm the average patient experiences when their privacy is violated. It will also explore healthcare provider liability and the effect of government enforcement (HITECH, n.d.). Research has shown that many healthcare providers are reluctant to make the necessary investments in their organizations to protect patient information. While there are many approaches to research study methodologies, the quantitative research method was used for this study. The quantitative research method follows the principle that the collection of related data and measurements are analyzed and the results are developed (Sun et al., 2014). Using the quantitative approach would allow the use of data that has been measured. The qualitative approach is typically applied to evaluate the quality and approach towards the chosen measure of a study. In this scenario, healthcare professionals would be the ones to focus and take into consideration the patient's needs. In a qualitative study, one would focus on item information; which are more hypothetical and cannot be measured. The qualitative approach will rely on a certain amount of discernment. Furthermore, the qualitative research method is a very important part of a study because of the significance of collecting and analyzing a project (Cooper & Schindler,