Protected Health Information (PHI) and HIPAA Privacy Rule

This version of the course is no longer available.
Need multiple seats for your university or lab? Get a quote
The page below is a sample from the LabCE course . Access the complete course and earn ASCLS P.A.C.E.-approved continuing education credits by subscribing online.

Learn more about (online CE course)
Protected Health Information (PHI) and HIPAA Privacy Rule

The HIPAA Privacy Rule protects all "individually identifiable health information" held or transmitted by a healthcare provider in any form or media, whether electronic, paper, or oral.2 The Privacy Rule calls this information protected health information (PHI).
PHI is information (including demographic data) that relates to:
  • An individual's past, present or future physical or mental health or condition
  • The provision of health care to the individual
  • The past, present, or future payment for the provision of health care to the individual
All identifiers that can be used to identify an individual are protected. This includes many common identifiers (eg, name, address, birth date, Social Security Number).
2. Office for Civil Rights (OCR). “Summary of the HIPAA Privacy Rule.” HHS.gov, US Department of Health and Human Services, 26 July 2013,www.hhs.gov/hipaa/for-professionals/privacy/laws-regulations/index.html. Accessed July 05, 2021.