How to Properly Send PHI
Overview
This article outlines the approved ways to send PHI (Protected Health Information) to the Barti support team.
Contents
What is the Privacy Rule?
A major goal of the Privacy Rule is to assure that individuals' health information is properly protected while allowing the flow of health information needed to provide and promote high quality health care and to protect the public's health and well being. The Rule strikes a balance that permits important uses of information, while protecting the privacy of people who seek care and healing. Given that the health care marketplace is diverse, the Rule is designed to be flexible and comprehensive to cover the variety of uses and disclosures that need to be addressed.
What is PHI?
Protected health information (PHI) is any information in the 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.
Protected Health Information. The Privacy Rule protects all "individually identifiable health information" held or transmitted by a covered entity or its business associate, in any form or media, whether electronic, paper, or oral.
"Individually identifiable health information" includes information that relates to:
- the individual's past, present or future physical or mental health or condition
- the provision of health care to the individual
- the past, present, or future payment for the provision of health care to the individual
and that identifies the individual or for which there is a reasonable basis to believe it can be used to identify the individual. This includes common identifiers such as name, address, birth date, and Social Security Number.
How to Send PHI to Barti
Barti provides 3 ways to safely send patient data.
Option 1 — Upload via Settings → Files & Data (recommended)
- Log in to Barti
- Navigate to Settings (top right profile menu)
- Select the Files & Data tab
- Upload your file and select the appropriate category:
| Category | Use for |
|---|---|
| Patient Demographics | Patient name, DOB, contact info |
| Patient Appointments | Appointment history |
| Patient Exams | Exam records |
| Other | Any other onboarding or support data |
Option 2 — Reference the Patient MRN in Email
If sending an email, you may reference the patient's Medical Record Number (MRN) with no other patient identifiers (no name, DOB, SSN, or email address).
Option 3 — Create a PHI Request Ticket
Create a PHI Request Ticket in the Barti Help Center. This provides a secure channel for submitting patient information to the support team.
General Things to Avoid
- Emailing a screenshot containing PHI to Barti support or any Barti contact
- Sending a patient's name, DOB, SSN, or email address in an email
References
For more details please review Summary of the HIPAA Privacy Rule