The only thing that distinguishes PHI from IIHI is that PHI is information created, received, used, or maintained by a HIPAA-covered entity, whereas IIHI is information created, received, used, or maintained by an entity not covered by HIPAA (i.e., an employer, school, or non-medical college).
What is the difference between Phi and iihi?
What is the difference between PII, PHI and IIHI?
- PII is any data that could potentially be used to identify someone. ...
- PHI, by contrast, must be information used in a medical context. Organizations handling PHI must always comply with HIPAA rules. ...
- IIHI is any health information that can identify a person. It is essentially PII in a health context. ...
What is considered Phi under HIPAA?
Under HIPAA law, past and present health records and potential information regarding medical conditions or physical and mental health relevant to the provision of treatment or reimbursement for care are called PHI. PHI refers to any health information, such as physical records, electronic records, or spoken information.
What is considered phi healthcare?
PHI includes medical documents, health histories, laboratory test results, medical billing records, and EHRs. Basically, all health data is regarded as PHI if it includes personal identifiers. Demographic data is likewise regarded as PHI under HIPAA Rules, as are common identifiers such as patient names, driver license numbers, Social Security ...
What are PHI regulations?
Protected health information (PHI) is any information in the medical record or designated record set that can be used to identify an individual and that was created, used, or disclosed in the course of providing a health care service such as diagnosis or treatment. HIPAA regulations allow researchers to access and use PHI when necessary to ...
What is considered IIHI?
IIHI is any health information that can identify a person. It is essentially PII in a health context. Not all IIHI is protected under HIPAA. IIHI that has not been transmitted or maintained in some form by a HIPAA covered entity does not qualify as PHI.
What is IIHI in HIPAA?
Individually Identifiable Health Information (IIHI)
What is difference between PHI and PII?
While PII is a catch-all term for any information that can be traced to an individual's identity, PHI applies specifically to HIPAA covered entities that possess identifiable health information.
What are the 3 types of PHI?
Dates — Including birth, discharge, admittance, and death dates. Biometric identifiers — including finger and voice prints. Full face photographic images and any comparable images.
What is not considered PHI under HIPAA?
Employee and education records: Any records concerning employee or student health, such as known allergies, blood type, or disabilities, are not considered PHI. Wearable devices: Data collected by wearable devices such as heart rate monitors or smartwatches is not PHI.
Is patient name alone considered PHI?
Names, addresses and phone numbers are NOT considered PHI, unless that information is listed with a medical condition, health care provision, payment data or something that states that they were seen at a particular clinic.
What are examples of PHI or PII?
Examples of PHI All geographical identifiers smaller than a state. Dates (other than year) directly related to an individual such as birthday or treatment dates. Phone Numbers including area code. Fax Number(s)
Which of the following are examples of PHI or PII?
PII means information that can be linked to a specific individual and may include the following: Social Security Number; DoD identification number; home address; home telephone; date of birth (year included); personal medical information; or personal/private information (e.g., an individual's financial data).
What are PII examples?
Personal identification numbers: social security number (SSN), passport number, driver's license number, taxpayer identification number, patient identification number, financial account number, or credit card number. Personal address information: street address, or email address. Personal telephone numbers.
What is considered PHI?
PHI is health information in any form, including physical records, electronic records, or spoken information. Therefore, PHI includes health records, health histories, lab test results, and medical bills. Essentially, all health information is considered PHI when it includes individual identifiers.
What are the 18 identifiers of PHI?
18 HIPAA IdentifiersName.Address (all geographic subdivisions smaller than state, including street address, city county, and zip code)All elements (except years) of dates related to an individual (including birthdate, admission date, discharge date, date of death, and exact age if over 89)Telephone numbers.Fax number.More items...
Which of the following is not an example of PHI?
Examples of health data that is not considered PHI: Number of steps in a pedometer. Number of calories burned. Blood sugar readings w/out personally identifiable user information (PII) (such as an account or user name)
What are examples of IIHI?
Geographical identifiers smaller than a state, except the initial three digits of a zip code, provided the combination of all zip codes starting with those three digits. ... Dates directly related to an individual, other than year.Phone Numbers.Fax numbers.Email addresses.Social Security numbers.Medical record numbers.More items...•
What does TPO mean HIPAA?
treatment, payment and healthcare operationsHIPAA permits use and disclosure of PHI for treatment, payment and healthcare operations (TPO). 2. Treatment encompasses the care we provide to the patient. Payment includes billing and collection activities.
What is individual identification health information?
“Individually identifiable health information” is information, including demographic data, that relates to: The individual's past, present or future physical or mental health condition. The provision of health care to the individual. The past, present, or future payment for the provision of health care to the ...
What does IHI stand for?
For 30 years, the Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI) has used improvement science to advance and sustain better outcomes in health and health care across the world.
Why does health information contained in educational records not count as PHI?
HIPAA led to the establishment of a federal “floor” of privacy and security standards and pre-empts any existing healthcare-related privacy and sec...
What other laws pre-empt HIPAA?
Most states have privacy and security regulations in which some standards are more stringent than HIPAA. In these circumstances, HIPAA applies exce...
Does HIPAA only apply to organizations operating in the U.S?
Although HIPAA is a federal law that applies to all covered entities operating in the U.S., if a covered entity outsources a service to an overseas...
If a designated record set includes information about other people, does that information also have ...
In some cases, an individual´s medical record may include information about family members that could be used to determine the identity of the indi...
Why do you need to protect an individual´s Internet Protocol address?
Internet protocol (IP) addresses allow devices connected to the Internet to be identified geographically so that the devices can send and receive d...
Why isn't PHI or IIHI?
The following is not IIHI or PHI because no identifiers are attached to medical information or vice versa, making it impossible to identify the person: You walk out of a hospital and find a piece of paper on the ground with a person’s name and admission date on it. These are two identifiers.
What is PHI in dental office?
You see their first and last names, phone numbers, appointment dates, and expected procedures. This email attachment is PHI because it contains three identifiers (names, appointment dates, phone numbers) and medical information (expected procedures).
What is Individually Identifiable Health Information?
Individually identifiable health information (IIHI) goes beyond medical information about a person to include their demographics. IIHI meets these conditions:
Why is an email attachment considered PHI?
This email attachment is PHI because it contains three identifiers (names, appointment dates, phone numbers) and medical information (expected procedures). As a patient, you walk into a clinic and see reports lying on the reception desk. You can see patients’ lab test results with their names and dates of birth.
What is protected health information?
According to the HIPAA Privacy Rule, protected health information is individually identifiable health information that is: Transmitted by electronic media (e.g. sent through email), Maintained in electronic media (e.g. stored on a server), or. Transmitted or maintained in any other form or medium ...
What is HIPAAtrek platform?
The HIPAAtrek platform helps practices and small hospitals create a fully customizable HIPAA management program. Learn how HIPAAtrek can help you navigate the complex world of HIPAA compliance. Contact us today.
How many identifiers are there for HIPAA?
HIPAA Protected Health Information Identifiers. There are 18 identifiers that make medical information identifiable: The initial three digits of a zip code for all such geographic units containing 20,000 or fewer people is changed to 000.
What is the difference between PHI and IIHI?
The only thing that distinguishes PHI from IIHI is that PHI is information created, received, used, or maintained by a HIPAA-covered entity, whereas IIHI is information created, received, used, or maintained by an entity not covered by HIPAA (i.e., an employer, school, or non-medical college).
What Does PHI Stand For?
PHI is an acronym of Protected Health Information . The term is commonly referred to in the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) and associated legislation such as the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act (HITECH), and refers to any data relating to a patient, a patient´s healthcare or the payment for that healthcare that is created, received, stored, or transmitted by HIPAA-covered entities.
What is the HIPAA Security Rule?
The Security Rule primarily consists of physical, technical and administrative safeguards to prevent unauthorized access and disclosure of ePHI. These safeguards should be carefully studied by HIPAA-covered entities, as the penalties for a breach of the HIPAA Security Rule can be significant – in some cases even when there has been no authorized access to – or disclosure of – PHI.
What is EPHI in healthcare?
ePHI is an acronym of electronic Protected Health Information and related to any PHI that is created , received, stored , or transmitted electronically by HIPAA-covered entities. Due to the ease with which electronically-stored data can be accessed and shared, ePHI is subject to the HIPAA Security Rule as well as the HIPAA Privacy Rule. It is also subject to the HITECH ACT when a healthcare provider participates in the Meaningful Use program.
What is a HIPAA covered entity?
HIPAA-covered entities are mostly healthcare providers, health plans, healthcare clearinghouses and their business associates or third-party service providers who have access to Protected Health Information. These entities must implement measures to protect against the unauthorized disclosure, amendment or destruction of Protected Health Information as stipulated by the HIPAA Privacy Rule.
How many unique identifiers are there in PHI?
In total, there are eighteen unique identifiers considered to be PHI:
When does PHI cease to be PHI?
PHI ceases to be PHI when it is stripped of all eighteen unique identifiers for marketing or research purposes. Nonetheless, the data is still considered “protected” under the 1981 Common Rule – an Act of Congress that stipulates the baseline standard of ethics under which any government-funded research in the US is held. Nearly all U.S. academic institutions hold their researchers to this standard of ethics regardless of funding.
What is the difference between PHI and PII?
PHI is an acronym of Protected Health Information, while PII is an acronym of Personally Identifiable Information. Before explaining these terms, it is useful to first explain what is meant by health information, of which protected health information is a subset.
What is Considered PHI?
PHI relates to HIPAA covered entities, but does not include education records or employment records.
What is PHI in healthcare?
PHI includes health records such as EHR/EMRs, lab test results, health histories, diagnoses, treatment information, insurance information and lists of allergies are all considered PHI, as are unique identifiers and demographic information. If information is created, used, or disclosed by a HIPAA covered entity in the course ...
What is health information?
Health information relates to past, present, and future health conditions or physical/mental health that is related to the provision of healthcare services or payment for those services.
Is PHI a HIPAA covered entity?
If information is created, used, or disclosed by a HIPAA covered entity in the course of providing care to an individual, or is used in conjunction with payment for care, it is considered PHI and is subject to strict controls over its allowable uses and disclosures.
Can HIPAA covered entities share PHI?
HIPAA-covered entities are only permitted to share PHI for the purposes of treatment or for healthcare operations without first obtaining authorizations to disclose the information from patients. The definitions of treatment and healthcare operations can be found in 45 CFR 164.501.
Does HIPAA require a patient to obtain a copy of PHI?
The HIPAA Privacy Rule also permits patients to obtain copies of the PHI held by a covered entity. In such cases, a request must be made to the covered entity to provide copies of PHI that is stored in a designated record set.
What happens if a healthcare professional uses PHI?
In some cases if a healthcare professional knowingly obtains or uses PHI for reasons that are not permitted by the HIPAA Privacy Rule that person may be criminally liable for the violation. Criminal violations of HIPAA rules are prosecuted by the Department of Justice. These violations may include the sale or the theft of patient information for financial gain or wrongful disclosures with the intent to cause harm.
When was PHI created?
Protected health information known as PHI has become a common part of healthcare jargon. PHI’s origin comes from the Privacy Rule which was proposed in 1999 and finalized three years later in 2002. After Congress enacted HIPAA in 1996 the Privacy and Security Rules were added on later in 2002 and 2004, respectively.
How many HIPAA identifiers are there?
The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) lists the 18 HIPAA identifiers as follows:
What is considered PII?
Some information that is considered to be PII is available in public sources such as telephone books, public web sites, and university listings. This type of information is considered to be public PII and includes, for example, first and last name, address, work telephone number, email address, home telephone number, and general educational credentials.
What is HIPAA law?
HIPAA is the acronym for legislation that was developed after a failed attempt at health care reform. HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act) was enacted to protect employees with pre-existing conditions from losing their insurance when they changed jobs. Part of the act was the first step to modernize and improve upon the exchange of information between health care providers.
Do most organizations have PII?
Most organizations have PII but PHI and occasionally PII healthcare info is limited to healthcare and healthcare related organizations. However, the best practices for protecting these high risk data sets are similar. Protecting PII and PHI include the following procedures and tactics:
When does IIHI become PHI?
IIHI only becomes PHI when a covered entity creates, receives, or maintains the information.
What is a health information?
Individually Identifiable Health Information (IIHI) A subset of health information that identifies the individual or can reasonably be used to identify the individual; HIPAA protects individually identifiable health information. Common individual identifiers include name, address, and social security number, but may also include date of birth, ...
What are the identifiers for healthcare research?
Common individual identifiers include name, address, and social security number, but may also include date of birth, Zip Code, or county location. If the information is not individually identifiable, such as healthcare research information that only identifies a particular population, not individuals, then it is not protected by HIPAA.
What Is Phi, PII, and Iiha?
What Is Considered Phi?
- Protected health information is individually identifiable health information that is created, maintained, used, or obtained by a HIPAA-covered entity or a business associate of a HIPAA covered entity. The protected health information can be in any form – i.e., electronic, paper, or oral – and includes images, charts, and any other characteristic – including characteristics of family …
Permissible Uses and Disclosures of Phi
- The HIPAA Privacy Rule details the permissible uses and disclosures of PHI. HIPAA-covered entities must disclose PHI on demand to an individual who is the subject of the PHI and to inspectors from HHS´ Office for Civil Rights when they are conducting an audit or other compliance activity. Thereafter, HIPAA-covered entities are permitted, but not required, to use an…
Disclosing Copies of Phi to An Individual
- The HIPAA Privacy Rule permits patients and health plan members to request copies of their PHI held by a covered entity, request corrections where errors exist, and determine who PHI can be shared with and under what circumstances. To help individuals get a better understanding of who PHI can be shared with under the permissible uses and disclosures of PHI, patients and health p…
What Is Considered Phi? FAQs
- Is there a definitive list of what information is considered PHI?
HHS only gives a general definition of PHI in its Summary of the HIPAA Privacy Rule – “The Privacy Rule protects all individually identifiable health information held or transmitted by a covered entity or its business associate”. Consequently, compliance experts refer to the “safe ha… - What is the difference between PHI and ePHI?
The acronym PHI stands for Protected Health Information, while the acronym ePHI stands for electronic Protected Health Information – a subset of PHI that is subject to the safeguards of the HIPAA Security Rule as well as the HIPAA Privacy Rule.