PHI & Data
Safe Harbor Method
A HIPAA de-identification method that removes 18 specified identifiers from health data.
The Safe Harbor method is one of two HIPAA-approved approaches to de-identification. It requires removing 18 specific categories of identifiers and having no actual knowledge that the remaining data could identify an individual. The identifiers include names, geographic subdivisions smaller than a state, dates, phone numbers, and medical record numbers.
Once all 18 identifiers are removed under Safe Harbor, the data is no longer PHI and can be used or shared without HIPAA restrictions.