What is included in Protected Health Information (PHI) and provides examples?

What is included in Protected Health Information (PHI) and provides examples?

• A. Protected Health Information; includes identifiers like name, SSN, medical history.
• B. Only financial information.
• C. Public health data without identifiers.
• D. De-identified research data.

Answer: (A)

PHI is information about a person’s health care that can be linked to that individual. The key idea is that the health details are tied to identifiers that reveal who the person is. Examples include the person’s name, Social Security number, medical history, diagnoses, treatment details, and billing or payment information. Because these data connect health information to a specific person, they’re protected and require privacy safeguards. Why the other options don’t fit: financial information alone isn’t PHI unless it’s linked to health care, public health data without identifiers can’t identify the person, and de-identified data has had identifiers removed and thus isn’t PHI.

PHI is information about a person’s health care that can be linked to that individual. The key idea is that the health details are tied to identifiers that reveal who the person is. Examples include the person’s name, Social Security number, medical history, diagnoses, treatment details, and billing or payment information. Because these data connect health information to a specific person, they’re protected and require privacy safeguards.

Why the other options don’t fit: financial information alone isn’t PHI unless it’s linked to health care, public health data without identifiers can’t identify the person, and de-identified data has had identifiers removed and thus isn’t PHI.