on the readings from the text this week, please respond to the following question: On page 47 is a list of the Eighteen MIPAA identifiers (safe harbor method). Review the list and describe your impression of whether or not this is sufficient for de Identification. Are there items that should be included that were not and are there items that seem to be superfluous and unnecessary? Response should be A minimum of 500 words overed by HIPAA 47 Deidentified information has personal characteristics removed from it. It does not vidual. Because information technology is powerful, it is often possible to identify individ- identify the individual, nor is there a reasonable basis to believe it could identify an indi unts by combining specific data (Rinehart:Thompson 2017. 214). To ensure appropriate deidentification, HIPAA provides two options: 1. Remove 18 defined elements to ensure the patient's information is deidentified (45 CFR 164.514(b)(2)(0)). This is the safe harbor method. 2. Use an expert to apply generally accepted statistical and scientific principles and methods to determine the risk that the information might be used to identify an individual is minimal (45 CFR 164.514(b)(1). The 18 elements that must be removed for deidentification to occur in the safe harbor method are listed in figure 2.5. Identifiers that relate not only to the individual but also to the individual's relatives, employers, and household members must be removed. FIGURE 2.5. Eighteen HIPAA identifiers (safe harbor method). 1. Names 2. Geographic subdivisions smaller than a state, including street address, city, county precinct, and zip code if that geographic unit contains fewer than 20,000 people. the initial three digits of such zip code may be changed to 000 or zip codes with the same three initial digits may be combined to form a unit of more than 20,000 people 3. All elements of dates, except the year, directly related to an individual including birth, admission, discharge and death dates, in addition, all ages over 89 and all elements of dates (including the year) that would identity such age cannot be used. however, individuals over 89 can be aggregated into a single category of 90 or over 4. Telephone numbers 5. Fax numbers 6. E-mail addresses 7. Social Security numbers 8. Medical record numbers 9. Health plan beneficiary numbers 10. Account numbers 11. Certificate and license numbers 12. Vehicle identifiers and serial numbers, including license plate numbers 13. Device identifiers and serial numbers 14. Web Universal Resource Locators (URLs) 15. Internet Protocol (IP) address numbers 16. Biometric identifiers, including fingerprints and voice prints 17. Full face photographic images and any comparable images 18. Any other unique identifying number, characteristic, or code, except for permissible reidentification Source: 45 CFR 164.514(b) (2) (i)
