Integrity control is necessary to protect ePHI from what?

Integrity control is crucial for protecting electronic protected health information (ePHI) specifically from improper alteration or destruction. This aspect of data integrity ensures that the information remains accurate and unaltered during storage and transmission. Without these controls, ePHI could be modified maliciously or accidentally, leading to incorrect information being used for patient care or billing, potentially causing harm or financial loss.

Implementing integrity controls ensures that mechanisms are in place to detect and prevent unauthorized modifications. It encompasses various practices such as audit trails to track changes, validation processes, and secure coding practices. This focus on maintaining the integrity of ePHI is a key component of compliance with regulatory standards like HIPAA, which emphasizes the safeguarding of all aspects of health information, ensuring it remains reliable and trustworthy.