Certified Electronic Health Records Specialist (CEHRS) Practice Exam

Which of the following is an example of ePHI?

1. Verbal communication between doctors and patients

2. Medical records stored on paper documents

3. Health information stored electronically

4. Public health data reports

The correct answer is: Health information stored electronically

The correct answer is health information stored electronically, as it defines electronic protected health information (ePHI) accurately. ePHI refers specifically to any health information relating to a patient's past, present, or future physical or mental health that is created, received, maintained, or transmitted in electronic form. This includes any sensitive data stored in electronic health records (EHRs), digital files, databases, or any other electronic system that can maintain patient information. In contrast, verbal communication between doctors and patients does not qualify as ePHI because it is not stored or transmitted electronically. Medical records stored on paper documents do not meet the definition of ePHI either, since they are not in an electronic format, and therefore, do not benefit from the same protections under regulations like HIPAA. Public health data reports might contain aggregate information but typically do not include individually identifiable health information unless specified otherwise, which once more excludes them from being classified as ePHI.