What does the Privacy Rule protect?
The Rule protects individually identifiable health information. The Rule defines this to include information that is: • created or received by a “covered entity,” including a health care provider, health plan, or health care clearinghouse • that relates to the past, present or future physical or mental health or condition of the individual, or • that relates to the provision of health care in the past, present or future. For a discussion of identifiable information and how it may be deidentified, please see Q&A 5 and 6 below.
