Hipaa what does phi stand for

PHI may also be used to refer to private health insurance, permanent health insurance, public health informatics, a public health institute, and in medicine, the enzyme phosphoexose Isomerase.

Author: Steve Alder has many years of experience as a journalist, and comes from a background in market research. He is a specialist on legal and regulatory affairs, and has several years of experience writing about HIPAA. Steve holds a B. This can be a legal mess for both the Covered Entity and the Business Associate if there is a breach.

Adopt a clean desk policy to keep your workstation secure. Never leave your computer unlocked while you are away from your desk and store files in a secure place whenever you are not using them. These are in place to prevent data breaches , and they are only effective if everyone follows the rules. So, familiarize yourself with these procedures. Above all, your reputation depends on how well you serve your clients.

You, or anyone with the link, can use it to retrieve your Cart at any time. Then send it to yourself, or a friend, with a link to retrieve it at any time. Please check your email for your results. There are 18 such identifiers that are to be removed from PHI in order for it to be considered de-identified and no longer protected. These elements are:.

In closing, PHI refers to Protected Health Information — which is essentially any information from which a patient can be identified, including payment and other information. Mismanagement or mishandling of PHI can lead to serious repercussions for both organizations and individuals, so it is of the utmost importance that all parties understand exactly what PHI is and why it is protected.

According to the U. Covered entities use PHI as part of their patient care. Healthcare Providers are exactly who you think of: hospitals, doctors, clinics, psychologists, dentists, chiropractors, nursing homes, and pharmacies.

In addition, employers and schools that handle PHI in order to enroll their employees and students in health plans fall under the definition of a Health Plan and need to be HIPAA compliant. A Healthcare Clearinghouse takes in PHI from a healthcare entity, puts the data into a standard format, and then outputs the information to another entity. A Business Associate is any person who, on behalf of a Covered Entity, performs or assists in the performance of a function or activity involving the use or disclosure of PHI.

Vendors can be data storage or document storage services it doesn't matter if they can view the PHI that they maintain , providers of data transmission services, portals or other interfaces created on behalf of Covered Entities that allow patients to share their data with the Covered Entity, and electronic health information exchanges.