Certified in Healthcare Compliance (CHC) Practice Test 2025 – Complete Exam Prep

Protected Health Information (PHI) encompasses any information that can identify an individual and is related to their health condition, the provision of healthcare, or payment for healthcare services. This definition includes a wide range of data such as names, addresses, birth dates, social security numbers, and any health information that is collected and maintained in connection with healthcare services. The criterion for PHI is that the information is individually identifiable and related to the individual's health status or health services received.

In contrast, aggregate data about patient populations does not represent information that identifies any specific individual, and thus does not qualify as PHI. Publicly accessible medical reports often do not contain identifying information or fall outside the regulations governing PHI, making them non-protected. Lastly, employee health records that are not linked to patient care do not qualify as PHI because they do not involve information related to healthcare provided to a patient, thus removing the connection necessary for classification as PHI.