What does "de-identification" of PHI involve?

De-identification of Protected Health Information (PHI) involves the process of removing personally identifiable information from health data. This is a critical step in ensuring that the data cannot be traced back to an individual and is essential for protecting patient privacy while still allowing for the use of health data in research, public health, and other purposes.

De-identification is particularly relevant under HIPAA, which outlines specific methods for achieving this, including the removal of names, geographic information, and other identifiers that could link the data to an individual. It allows organizations to share health data without compromising patient confidentiality.

In contrast, the other options refer to different processes that do not align with the definition of de-identification. For example, securing health data using encryption is more about protecting data from unauthorized access rather than removing identifiable information. Obtaining patient consent pertains to patient rights and data usage, while classifying health data into categories involves organizing information rather than altering its identifiable status. Therefore, option B is the one that best describes the concept of de-identification of PHI.