Which of the following is NOT considered protected health information?

Protected health information (PHI) is any information about health status, provision of health care, or payment for health care that can be linked to a specific individual. This includes a variety of details that are sensitive in nature and require protection to ensure the privacy of individuals.

The state in which a client lives, while it is an identifiable piece of information, does not contain specific health-related details or any direct reference to an individual's health status or treatment. PHI typically encompasses more personal identifiers that can reveal someone's health information or healthcare history directly.

In contrast, the client’s mail can include personal and health-related information, the client's address links to their identity and can be used to access their health records, and the social security number (SSN) is a highly sensitive identifier that provides a direct link to a person’s financial and health records. Therefore, these elements fall under the definition of PHI due to their potential links to an individual's health information.

Thus, the state that the client lives in does not qualify as protected health information because it alone does not provide insights into the health status or healthcare of the individual.