Answer to the Trivia Question:
FALSE
The HIPAA Waiver of Authorization Form only refers to destruction of Protected Health Information (PHI), not data. PHI is defined as any of the 18 HIPAA recognized identifiers in combination with health information. Removing identifiers using the safe harbor method results in the information no longer being considered PHI. The Waiver Form also permits an investigator to justify retaining PHI. If the data/specimens will be destroyed, verify that this will not violate retention policies and will adhere to applicable facility and regulatory requirements.
In addition to complying with UK's Data Retention and Ownership Policy, research data is needed to validate findings, provide proof in the event of a misconduct allegation, and permit sharing or study replication. For additional information on data retention see the Data Video Article in this newsletter.
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