In the context of HIPAA, what does PHI stand for?

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Protected Health Information is the term HIPAA uses to describe health data that can identify an individual and relates to the person’s health status, the care they receive, or the payment for that care. Because it can be tied to a specific person, this information requires safeguards and is subject to strict rules about who may access or disclose it. PHI includes data in any format—paper records, electronic files, or spoken information—when there’s a link to an identifiable individual. When identifying details are removed so the person can’t be identified, the data are no longer PHI. The other options aren’t the standard HIPAA term and don’t specifically convey the protecting of identifiable health information.