Personal Health Record (PHR)
Definition - What does Personal Health Record (PHR) mean?
A personal health record (PHR) is a type of medical record in which a patient has the ability to access and add information to his or her digital health file.
Techopedia explains Personal Health Record (PHR)
Resources that provide PHR information to U.S. consumers are maintained by groups like the American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA). Health providers regularly study such groups to determine their impact on medical community. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) also provides PHR data to consumers, in addition to vital information about the regulation of these records under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA).
HHS reports have noted that although PHRs are patient-controlled, HIPAA has some impact on what information may be provided to patients. HIPAA also links the PHR term with the term "protected health information" (PHI). Because a PHR may contain a great deal of PHI, a PHR often falls under specific HIPAA protections.
