What type of information is included in Protected Health Information (PHI)?

Protected Health Information (PHI) encompasses a wide range of health-related information that can be linked to an individual. This includes various identifiers such as names, addresses, and dates of birth, but importantly, it also extends to information related to the person’s past, present, or future physical or mental health condition.

The correct option indicates that the fact a person is deceased is considered PHI because it relates to their health information, specifically their health history and status at the time of death. Even in death, an individual's health records are protected under privacy regulations, as this information can still provide insights into the individual's health concerns or conditions that may impact surviving family members.

The other options focus on more limited categories of health information. Medical treatment history, while a component of PHI, is not the entirety of what constitutes PHI. Genetic information about family members does not apply to the individual directly, which means it typically falls outside the scope of that person's PHI. Hobbies and personal preferences, while they may provide context about a person, do not relate to their health status or medical history, and therefore are not included in PHI.