Final answer:
Protected Health Information (PHI) includes any data in an individual's medical record or payment history that can be linked to that individual and is protected under HIPAA to ensure confidentiality and privacy in healthcare.
Step-by-step explanation:
What is Protected Health Information (PHI):
Protected Health Information (PHI) refers to information that is part of an individual's medical records or billing information, health insurance information and any other data collected used or disclosed during medical care that can be linked to an individual. This can include conversations between doctors and nurses about treatment information on a patient's health insurance identification card, billing details and much more. PHI is any piece of information in an individual's medical record that was created used or disclosed in the course of providing a healthcare service such as diagnosis or treatment.
This information must be kept confidential under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA). By definition PHI contains individually identifiable health information, which means that it includes details that could reasonably be used to identify an individual. This encompasses a wide range of identifiers such as name address birth date and Social Security Number. The protection of PHI is crucial to maintain patient privacy and confidentiality in the healthcare industry.