Final answer:
De-identifying health information means removing personal identifiers to protect privacy as required by HIPAA. This process impacts the ability to share digital records among providers while maintaining individual privacy and patient quality of life.
Step-by-step explanation:
When a health care provider "de-identifies" the health information in a patient's record, it means specific personal identifiers are removed from health data to protect the patient's privacy. Under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), there are stringent rules to safeguard the confidentiality of patient records. The process of de-identification is part of adhering to these privacy standards. De-identification can make it more challenging to share digital records among health providers while still following legal considerations. However, it serves to strike a balance between the need for data sharing to improve treatment and diagnosis and the need to safeguard individual privacy. Important questions about the balance between patient quality of life, costs of treatment, and privacy protection arise during policy development regarding health data handling.