What is considered Protected Health Information (PHI)?

Protected Health Information (PHI) encompasses a broad range of information that is crucial for maintaining patient privacy and is defined by the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA). The correct answer identifies PHI as any information that can identify an individual and relates to their health condition, healthcare payment, or healthcare services. This definition is comprehensive as it includes not only direct identifiers, such as names and social security numbers but also health-related information that can be connected to an individual, regardless of the source or format.

For example, PHI can originate from various settings, including hospitals, clinics, and health insurance companies, and includes medical histories, treatment plans, and even billing information. This ensures that the personal health information of individuals is protected in many contexts and not limited to just specific types of records or interactions.

The other options fall short of this definition. Information specifically regarding healthcare costs does not capture the entirety of what constitutes PHI since it may exclude significant health-related details. Similarly, limiting PHI to only medical records from hospitals or information shared between healthcare providers narrows its scope and misses many other situations and types of data that also qualify as protected.