What is protected health information (PHI)? And what is the importance o protected health information for privacy of individuals?
Protected health information (PHI) is information related to the past, present or future health conditions of an individual that was created, processed, or obtained during the course of providing healthcare services. PHI includes payments made for health services, diagnosis and treatment information, test results, and prescription information. Furthermore, PHI is any health related information that can be related to a specific individual.
Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) privacy rule provides protection for PHI held by covered entities and provides patients with an array of individual rights with respect to that health information. In addition, the privacy rules of individuals is balanced so that it allows the disclosure of PHI required for patient healthcare services and other important medical purposes.