Glossary

Healthcare and technology is full of acronyms, jargon, and regulations that may be new to some people. Here are some of the terms we've come across and find helpful in knowing.

Healthcare terms

Term	Information
Covered entity	Covered entities are individuals and organizations that have to comply with HIPAA rules. Examples of covered entities include doctors, pharmacies, health plans, and health care clearinghouses. Consumer applications, such as Record Health, are not considered covered entities since they operate separately from the healthcare system. More information can be found here.
EHR / EMR	Electronic Health Record or Electronic Medical Record is an electronic version of a patients medical history, that is maintained by providers over time, and may include all of the key administrative clinical data relevant to that persons care under a particular provider, including demographics, progress notes, problems, medications, vital signs, past medical history, immunizations, laboratory data and radiology reports.
HIPAA	HIPAA stands for the "Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act," which is a federal law requiring national standards to protect sensitive patient health information from being disclosed without the patient's consent or knowledge. The US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) issued the HIPAA Privacy Rule to implement the requirements of HIPAA with individuals and organizations called “covered entities.” Learn more on the CDC's website.
PHI	PHI stands for protected health information. This refers to any information in an official medical record or designated record set that can be used to identify an individual and that was created, used, or disclosed in the course of providing a health care service such as diagnosis or treatment. PHI is protected under HIPAA.
PHR	Personal Health Record is a website or application that allows an individual to personally maintain their or a loved one's medical and health information.
Provider	Providers are clinicians licensed to provide healthcare diagnosis and treatment services. This includes medication, labs, imaging, check-ups, and surgeries. Some examples can be found on Medline.
Patient Portal	Formally, the patient portal is the patient version of a healthcare organization's EHR. However the term has grown to represent any secure online website or app that provides patients access to their personal health information related to their care via an Internet connection.