Final answer:
PHI is unsecured if it is not protected according to government standards, such as encryption or other methods of rendering it unreadable. Healthcare organizations must take steps to ensure PHI is secure to comply with federal regulations.
Step-by-step explanation:
PHI, which stands for Protected Health Information, is considered unsecured if it is not protected according to government standards. According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, PHI is unsecured if it is not encrypted or otherwise rendered unusable, unreadable, or indecipherable to unauthorized individuals.
For example, if a healthcare provider stores patient records in an unencrypted format on a computer or if they transmit PHI over an unsecured network, it would be considered unsecured according to government standards.
It is important for healthcare organizations to ensure that they have sufficient security measures in place to protect PHI in order to comply with federal regulations, such as the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA).