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). However, when you compare the PHI meaning to that of IIHI (Individually Identifiable Health Information), the two are virtually the same. However, if PII consists of just a name and telephone number – but no health, healthcare, or billing information – it does not qualify as Protected Health Information.

For example, if you compare the PHI meaning with that of PII (Personally Identifiable Information), you might consider them to be the same. The distinction between some acronyms used in the healthcare and healthcare insurance industries can be minor but also a cause of confusion. These safeguards should be carefully studied by HIPAA-covered entities and business associates, as the penalties for violations of the HIPAA Security Rule can be significant – in some cases even when there has been no authorized access to, or disclosure of, PHI. The Security Rule primarily consists of physical, technical, and administrative safeguards to prevent unauthorized access to and disclosures of ePHI.

It is also subject to the HITECH Act when a healthcare provider participates in the Promoting Interoperability program. 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. The Difference Between PHI and ePHIĮPHI is an acronym of electronic Protected Health Information – a subset of PHI that is created, received, stored, or transmitted electronically by HIPAA-covered entities and business associates. academic institutions hold their researchers to this standard of ethics regardless of funding. 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. PHI ceases to be PHI when it is stripped of all eighteen unique identifiers for marketing or research purposes.

Any unique identifying number, characteristic or code.

Vehicle identifiers and serial numbers including license plates.

The eighteen unique identifiers considered to be PHI under this interpretation are: Consequently, compliance experts tend to rely on the eighteen unique identifiers that need to be removed from a designated data set before the data is no longer considered protected. The inclusion of the word “any” in the definition of what does PHI stand for has led to some confusion over what information should be protected, occasionally resulting in over-zealous safeguards that obstruct the flow of information – something the Privacy Rule is keen to avoid. However, PHI does not include health information contained in education records nor information maintained by a covered entity in their capacity as an employer. The Department of Health & Human Services´ Office for Civil Rights has defined PHI as any Individually Identifiable Health Information that – individually or combined – could potentially identify a specific individual, their past, present or future healthcare, or the method of payment. 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. HIPAA-covered entities are mostly healthcare providers, health plans, and healthcare clearinghouses, while their business associates are third-party service providers who have access to Protected Health Information in order to provide a service to or on behalf of the covered entity. Generally, PHI stands for 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 and their business associates. The term is commonly referred to in connection with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) and associated legislation such as the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act (HITECH). PHI is an acronym of Protected Health Information. In the context of HIPAA, the term PHI is commonly used in connection with health data, but what does PHI stand for, and what information is included in the definition of PHI? What Does PHI Stand For?

Phi stands for course hero