Lauren Cohen

If you work in healthcare, you probably hear people use “PHI” and “PII” as if they mean the same thing. In meetings, emails, policies, and vendor discussions, the PHI vs PII line often blurs. The way you classify PHI vs PII changes which laws apply, how you design safeguards, what your contracts must say, and how you respond when something goes wrong. Misunderstanding PHI vs PII can lead to confusing data maps, inconsistent access controls, and breach responses that either