Health Information Compliance Alert

Published on Fri Nov 28, 2008 PDF

Information that does not identify an individual is considered deidentified. That means the data is no longer PHI and isn't subject to the same rules as identifying health information -- think "white female in Oklahoma" versus "June Thompson in Tulsa."

Use this chart to easily recognize and remove patient identifiers from your e-mail. Tip: Distribute the list to all employees with e-mail access. Tell them that any information in their message that also appears in this list must be removed before they click 'Send.'

IDENTIFYING INFORMATION

Name

Address information other than city, state and ZIP code

Telephone numbers

Fax number

E-mail address

Social Security number

Medical record number

Health plan beneficiary number

Account number

Certificate/license numbers

Vehicle identifier

Device identifiers

Device serial number

Web site address

Biometric identifier

Full-face photograph

Geographic subdivisions smaller than state

Dates (except for years) related to birth, death, admission and discharge

Any other unique identifiying number, code or characteristic unless otherwise permitted