Skip to main content

Table 1 Identifiers that must be removed to deidentify medical data per HIPAA.

From: Development and evaluation of an open source software tool for deidentification of pathology reports

Identifier Type

Names

Geographic subdivisions smaller than a State *

All elements of dates (except year)

All ages over 89 *

Telephone numbers

Fax numbers

Electronic mail addresses

Social security numbers

Medical record numbers

Health plan beneficiary numbers

Account numbers

Certificate/license numbers

Vehicle identifiers and serial numbers, including license plate numbers

Device identifiers and serial numbers

Web Universal Resource Locators (URLs)

Internet Protocol (IP) address numbers

Biometric identifiers, including finger and voice prints

Full face photographic images and any comparable images

Any other unique identifying number, characteristic, or code

  1. * Additional details are given in the regulation text.
  2. Note that these categories refer only to identifiers that concern an individual, their relatives, employers or household members