Home Health & Hospice Week

Do you have license plate numbers on your list?

You may have a limited idea of what constitutes Protected Health Information — and thus what can land you in trouble if it’s leaked.

Here are what the HHS Office for Civil Rights lists as PHI identifiers under the HIPAA Privacy Rule:

1. Name

2. Address

3. Birthdate and other corresponding dates of admission, discharge, death, etc.

4. Landline and cellphone numbers

5. Fax numbers

6. Email addresses

7. Social Security Number

8. Medical record number

9. Health plan beneficiary number (i.e. Medicare Beneficiary Identifier)

10. Account number

11. State identification or license number

12. Vehicle identifiers and serial numbers, including license plate numbers

13. Device identifiers and serial numbers

14. URLs

15. IP addresses

16. Biometric identifiers like finger or voice prints

17. Photo or image of patient, specifically the face

18. Any other unique code, characteristic, image, or number that identifies the individual.