HIPAA and HITECH – What is Protected Health Information?

The HIPAA rules all speak of “protected health information,” or PHI. What does that really cover? It is important to understand what it is so that you are sure you have the correct protections in place. Let’s explore the definition of PHI a bit here. The rule defines individually identifiable health information as:
Individually identifiable health information is information that is a subset of health information, including demographic information collected from an individual, and…
1. Is created or received by a health care provider, health plan, employer, or health care clearinghouse; and
2. Relates to the past, present, or future …

What Exactly Are HIPAA and HIPAA Protected Health Information?

With the creation of the Internet and other major data sharing sources, things started changing dramatically in the way that information is transferred between many different sources. Using the web and data software for medical records retrieval, prior to government regulated action, did not really provide security or privacy for the patients whose records were being shared. Thus, HIPAA was born and protected health information became a reality. Time to explain what exactly HIPAA is and what does it cover as a law?
First, it is important to begin with a general definition of HIPAA. In 1996, the United States …