The HIPAA Privacy Rule  describes patient rights and protections pertaining to healthcare information.  The Privacy Rule applies to all forms of protected health information(PHI): verbal, written, electronic, and pantomime(not tested in court).  However, note that the Privacy Rule only applies to persons and organizations that meet the definition of a Covered Entity or Business Associate. To meet the definition of Protected Health Information(PHI), there must be: An individual’s identifier, also known as PHI, and Any kind of information pertaining to…