Group items tagged

The first way, the "safe-harbor" method, is to remove all 18 identifiers enumerated at section 164.514(b)(2) of the regulations 1. Data that are stripped of these 18 identifiers are regarded as de-identified, unless the covered entity has actual knowledge that it would be possible to use the remaining information alone or in combination with other information to identify the subject.

1 The following identifiers of the individual or of relatives, employers, or household members of the individual must be removed: (1) Names; (2) all geographic subdivisions smaller than a state, except for the initial three digits of the ZIP code if the geographic unit formed by combining all ZIP codes with the same three initial digits contains more than 20,000 people; (3) all elements of dates except year, and all ages over 89 or elements indicative of such age; (4) telephone numbers; (5) fax numbers; (6) email addresses; (7) social security numbers; (8) medical record numbers; (9) health plan beneficiary numbers; (10) account numbers; (11) certificate or license numbers; (12) vehicle identifiers and license plate numbers; (13) device identifiers and serial numbers; (14) URLs; (15) IP addresses; (16) biometric identifiers; (17) full-face photographs and any comparable images; (18) any other unique, identifying characteristic or code, except as permitted for re-identification in the Privacy Rule.

On average, people received the preventive services tracked in the reports two-thirds of the time. Moreover, wide variation was found in receipt of different types of preventive services. For instance, 20% of high-risk adults ages 18-64 ever received pneumococcal vaccination, but 94% of children ages 19-35 months received 3 doses of polio vaccine. On average, people received appropriate acute care services three-quarters of the time. Rates of receipt of acute care services ranged from a low of 8% among patients who needed and received treatment for an alcohol problem at a specialty facility to a high of 94% of hospitalized patients who indicated that communication with their doctors was good. On average, patients received recommended chronic disease management services three-quarters of the time. Again, receipt of chronic disease management services varied widely, from 17% of dialysis patients being registered on a kidney transplant waiting list to 95% of hospice patients receiving the right amount of pain medication.