Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPPA) Practice Exam

What type of information is primarily protected under HIPAA?

1. Public health information

2. Personal health information (PHI)

3. Research data

4. Hospital policy documents

The correct answer is: Personal health information (PHI)

The primary focus of HIPAA is to safeguard Personal Health Information (PHI). PHI includes any information that can identify an individual and relates to their past, present, or future physical or mental health or condition, the provision of healthcare to the individual, or the past, present, or future payment for the provision of healthcare. This encompasses a wide array of data, such as medical records, treatment history, and billing information. The law was established to ensure patient confidentiality and prevent unauthorized access to sensitive health data, making the protection of PHI its central tenet. In contrast, public health information, while important, does not receive the dedicated protections outlined in HIPAA as it often involves data aggregated for health statistics and trends rather than individual health records. Research data may have some protections under other regulatory frameworks depending on its nature and use but is not specifically protected under HIPAA unless it involves identifiable health information. Hospital policy documents are more about organizational guidelines and procedures rather than individual health information, and thus do not fall under HIPAA's protections either.