[LT-05]
The 18-Identifier Requirement
HIPAA's Privacy Rule (45 CFR Section 164.514) specifies the Safe Harbor de-identification method: to de-identify protected health information, 18 specific identifier categories must be removed. The Safe Harbor method is one of two HIPAA de-identification approaches; it is more commonly used because compliance is deterministic — if all 18 categories are removed, the data is de-identified as a matter of law.
The 18 categories:
- Names
- Geographic data (smalle...