What does PHI mean in HEALTHCARE

Protected Health Information (PHI) is any information related to an individual's physical or mental health, condition and history that is created or received by a health care provider, health plan, employer or health care clearinghouse. This information is protected under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA).

The HIPAA Privacy Rule sets forth standards for safeguarding an individual's PHI. It requires organizations that create, receive, maintain or transmit PHI to implement administrative, technical and physical safeguards to protect the confidentiality, integrity and availability of the information.

Your health care provider must take steps to ensure that your PHI is only shared with those who are authorized by law. In addition, your provider may need to share your PHI with other entities such as your insurance company or another physician whom you have consulted.

Organizations must use appropriate measures for storing and transmitting PHI electronically in order to comply with HIPAA regulations. These measures include administrative safeguards such as password protection and encryption; physical safeguards such as locked file cabinets; and technical safeguards such as firewalls.

Yes! Under HIPAA regulations, individuals have the right to access their own medical records at any time. Your healthcare provider should provide you with a copy of your medical records upon request.

According to HIPAA regulations healthcare providers must keep their patient's records for at least six years from either the date of creation or date of last use unless otherwise required by state law or agreement between the organization and its business partners.

Yes - HIPAA considers any individually identifiable information about your past, present or future physical health a part of your Protected Health Information (PHI). This includes your Social Security number along with other data like occupation and address information.

If someone unauthorized gets access to your Protected Health Information (PHI), it could be used fraudulently or maliciously against you resulting in identity theft or financial loss. It could also be used in ways that violate your privacy rights under HIPAA. If unauthorized access occurs it should be reported immediately so that corrective action can be taken quickly.