Protected Health Information (PHI) is a term used among healthcare professionals that stems from the Privacy Rule and HIPAA legislation. Today, the rules and regulations related to these initial developments are in place to protect patient privacy. Information exchange is a relatively new development regarding privacy within the healthcare industry.
The goal of healthcare research is to improve patient outcomes; this is only possible with adequate research. Researchers are interested in utilizing patient data without compromising patient privacy. Thankfully, advanced data privacy solutions can secure patient privacy without severely limiting research and development.
Here we discuss the differences between personal health information (PHI) and personally identifiable information (PII). In doing so, we inform healthcare staff and other professionals of the importance of safeguarding sensitive information. To learn more about PHI and PII, check out Tripleblind data solutions and continue reading.
PHI: Protected Health Information
PHI is protected health information that concerns methods of electronic exchange of patient health information. PHI is patient information shared via electronic media, maintained in these forms, or a different medium.
Examples of PHI information:
- patient names
- addresses
- medical records
- photos of the face
- identifying health numbers
With tripleblind data solutions, the security and exchange of this information are secure and created with patient protection in mind.
PII: Personally Identifiable Information
PII, personally identifiable information, refers to the information that distinguishes or blatantly identifies an individual. PII is personal information, and identifiable healthcare information may include “sensitive PII,” which includes information such as:
- social security numbers
- birthdates
- names of relatives
Some PII information is referred to as public PII. The information you can gather from these public sources includes, but is not limited to:
- names
- addresses
- phone numbers
- educational qualifications
Using tripleblind data solutions, you can de-identify patient information and data as much as possible by viewing representative information rather than raw data.
Prevent Breaches With Tripleblind Data Solutions: Penalties For Noncompliance
Healthcare data comprises a mix of both types of information, and there are different protocols to protect information. Data privacy solutions like tripleblind data solutions have been created to improve compliance. PII and PHI are considered “high-risk” datasets, so there are methods to protect these datasets at all costs.
Some policies include system monitoring, procedures to address data breaches, and access control. Additionally, there are tiers of penalties for anyone attempting to breach patient privacy. The severity of the violation ultimately dictates the severity of the penalty.
All Industries Must Abide By Security Laws
Healthcare is not the only industry that deals with sensitive personal information. Healthcare teams can do their part to ensure PHI and PII protection by trying to de-identify information. Client information for any business must also comply with laws that protect this information.
Stay Accountable And Protect Patient Privacy
Anyone with access to patient information should take preserving the ongoing security of sensitive information seriously. Healthcare organizations and businesses are expected to honor appropriate conduct of this information, and tools like tripleblind data solutions make honoring these commitments more efficient.
