What is the primary role of the Office for Civil Rights (OCR)?

The primary role of the Office for Civil Rights (OCR) is centered around ensuring that individuals' rights are protected, particularly in the context of healthcare services. This includes the enforcement of civil rights laws that prohibit discrimination in healthcare settings. OCR is tasked with enforcing regulations such as the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) privacy and security rules, which protect individuals' health information, and the Civil Rights Act, which prohibits discrimination based on race, color, national origin, disability, age, or sex in health care and social services.

By focusing on discrimination enforcement, OCR plays an essential role in safeguarding access to care and upholding equitable treatment within healthcare environments, thereby addressing systemic issues that could adversely affect marginalized groups. This commitment to fairness and legal adherence is critical in the evolving landscape of healthcare compliance.

Other options, while they may relate to healthcare or compliance in various ways, do not capture the specific and central mission of OCR. For instance, policy implementation and monitoring compliance with laws like the Stark law are important functions within healthcare management and compliance but are not the primary focus of OCR. Providing health information is also a critical function within the healthcare system but falls outside the scope of OCR's primary role. Thus, option B accurately reflects the core