How to Redact Medical Bills

Medical bills contain a unique mix of sensitive information: your health conditions, treatment details, and financial data. When you need to share a medical bill—for an insurance appeal, HSA reimbursement, or expense documentation—you don't have to expose everything.

What's on a Medical Bill

A typical medical bill includes:

• Patient information: Name, address, date of birth, SSN or patient ID
• Provider information: Hospital/clinic name, address, NPI number
• Service details: Date of service, procedure codes (CPT), diagnosis codes (ICD-10)
• Financial details: Charges, insurance adjustments, patient responsibility
• Account information: Account number, statement date
• Insurance details: Payer name, policy number, group number

Why Diagnosis Codes Matter

ICD-10 diagnosis codes reveal your health conditions. For example:

• F32.1 = Major depressive disorder
• E11.9 = Type 2 diabetes
• Z87.891 = History of nicotine dependence

Anyone who knows how to look up these codes can learn your medical history. If you're sharing a bill for cost documentation only, consider redacting diagnosis codes.

What to Redact by Purpose

For HSA/FSA Reimbursement

HSA administrators typically need:

• Provider name (keep visible)
• Date of service (keep visible)
• Amount charged/paid (keep visible)
• Your name (keep visible)

You may be able to redact:

• Diagnosis codes (often not required)
• Procedure code details
• Insurance policy numbers
• Full account numbers (last 4 sufficient)

For Insurance Appeals

Insurance appeals usually require more detail. Keep:

• All diagnosis and procedure codes (these are essential)
• Provider information
• All dates and charges
• Insurance information

You might still redact:

• Full SSN (if present)
• Unrelated services on the same bill

For Expense Documentation (Tax, Legal)

If you need to prove medical expenses:

• Keep dates, amounts, and provider name
• Redact diagnosis codes if not specifically required
• Redact SSN and full account numbers

For Sharing with Family Members

If helping a family member review bills:

• Keep amounts and dates visible
• Redact SSN and insurance details
• Consider redacting sensitive diagnosis codes

How to Redact Medical Bills

Digital Bills (PDF/Email)

1. Download or save the bill as a PDF
2. Upload to a redaction tool like SafeRedact
3. AI detects SSN, account numbers, and identifiers
4. Manually add redactions for diagnosis codes if desired
5. Apply and download

Paper Bills

1. Scan or photograph the bill
2. Redact digitally (more reliable than marker)
3. Export the redacted version

What NOT to Redact

Be careful not to over-redact. Depending on your purpose, keep:

• Provider name: Proves it's a legitimate medical expense
• Date of service: Required for most reimbursement purposes
• Amount: The whole point of sharing the bill
• Your name: Proves it's your bill

Special Situations

Mental Health Services

Mental health diagnosis codes can be particularly sensitive. If sharing a bill for a therapy session, you may want to redact the diagnosis code while keeping the date and amount visible.

Sensitive Procedures

Some procedures—STI testing, reproductive health, substance abuse treatment—may have additional privacy protections under state law. Consider extra care when redacting these bills.

Minors' Medical Bills

If you're sharing a child's medical bill, protect their health information the same way you'd protect yours. Their health history deserves privacy too.

Verifying Your Redaction

After redacting, verify:

• All diagnosis codes are covered (if you chose to redact them)
• SSN and full account numbers are hidden
• Insurance policy details are redacted
• The required information (amounts, dates, provider) is still visible