Which statement best describes PHI?

• A. A patient’s name and birth date
• B. An anonymized data set
• C. A patient’s name and birth date
• D. A hospital policy document

Answer: (A)

PHI is health information that identifies an individual. A patient’s name and birth date are direct identifiers, and when any combination of identifiers could be used to identify someone, that information is considered PHI. So this statement illustrates how PHI includes identifiable patient information and must be protected under privacy rules. An anonymized data set has had identifying details removed and is not PHI, and a hospital policy document isn’t PHI unless it contains patient-specific information. Therefore, describing a patient’s name and birth date as PHI best captures what PHI is.