The distinction between Protected Health Information (PHI) and its electronic counterpart, known as Electronic Protected Health Information (ePHI), primarily revolves around the medium in which the information is stored or transmitted, rather than its identifying characteristics.
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Protected Health Information (PHI): This refers to any health information that can be used to identify an individual and relates to their health status, provision of healthcare, or payment for healthcare. PHI can exist in any form, including spoken, written, or printed forms, regardless of whether it is in electronic format or not.
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Electronic Protected Health Information (ePHI): This subset of PHI specifically refers to health information that is created, stored, transmitted, or received in electronic form. ePHI is subject to specific regulations under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) in the United States, which establishes requirements for safeguarding such information to protect patient privacy and security.
Thus, the main difference is that all ePHI is PHI, but not all PHI is ePHI. The critical aspect of both is that they contain individually identifiable health information, but ePHI is focused on the electronic medium in which this information is handled.