CVS Pharmacy Technician Certification Practice Test

Protected Health Information (PHI) excludes which of the following?

1. Written communications

2. Electronic communications

3. Oral communications

4. Visual communications

The correct answer is: Oral communications

Protected Health Information (PHI) refers to any information held by a covered entity that concerns health status, health care provision, or payment for healthcare that can be linked to an individual. While written, electronic, and visual communications all can contain PHI, oral communications are generally seen as less formal in the context of privacy regulations. Oral communications, such as conversations between patients and healthcare providers that do not leave a record, do not inherently meet the criteria for PHI as defined by HIPAA unless these conversations are documented or the information discussed can be used to identify an individual. Therefore, oral communications are typically excluded from the strict definition of PHI, highlighting the importance of the format and medium through which health information is communicated. In contrast, written, electronic, and visual communications can be stored and thus are often classified as PHI, making them subject to strict confidentiality and security requirements.