Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPPA) Practice Exam

Integrity of e-PHI requires confirmation that the data...

1. Is accessible to authorized personnel

2. Is accurate and has not been altered, lost, or destroyed in an unauthorized manner

3. Is backed up daily

4. Is stored in a secure location

The correct answer is: Is accurate and has not been altered, lost, or destroyed in an unauthorized manner

The integrity of electronic Protected Health Information (e-PHI) is critical to ensuring that the data remains accurate, complete, and unaltered during its lifecycle. Selecting the option that emphasizes the necessity for the data to be accurate and to have not been altered, lost, or destroyed in an unauthorized manner highlights a fundamental principle of data integrity. When integrity is maintained, it ensures that the information can be trusted and relied upon for treatment, payment, and operations purposes. Any alteration or unauthorized destruction of e-PHI can lead to serious implications, such as incorrect clinical decisions, billing errors, and compliance issues, all of which affect not only the healthcare providers but also the patients whose data is being held. While it's beneficial for e-PHI to be accessible to authorized personnel, properly backed up, and stored securely, these aspects alone do not guarantee the integrity of the data itself. They are more operational aspects of managing e-PHI rather than direct indicators of the data's accuracy and completeness. Therefore, focusing on the accuracy and protection against unauthorized changes directly addresses the primary concern of maintaining the integrity of e-PHI.