The 18 HIPAA Identifiers
HIPAA's Privacy Rule defines 18 types of identifiers that constitute Protected Health Information (PHI). SafeRedact is not HIPAA compliant — users are solely responsible for regulatory compliance.
1. Names
Full, first, last, maiden names
2. Geographic Data
Addresses, cities, zip codes
3. Dates
Birth, admission, discharge, death
4. Phone Numbers
All telephone numbers
5. Fax Numbers
All fax numbers
6. Email Addresses
All email addresses
7. SSN
Social Security numbers
8. Medical Record #
MRN and chart numbers
9. Health Plan ID
Beneficiary numbers
10. Account Numbers
Financial account numbers
11. License Numbers
Certificates, licenses
12. Vehicle IDs
VIN, license plates
13. Device IDs
Medical device serials
14. URLs
Web URLs
15. IP Addresses
Internet protocol addresses
16. Biometric IDs
Fingerprints, voiceprints (non-text)
17. Photos
Full-face photos (image-based)
18. Other Unique IDs
Any unique code or number
AI-detected | Non-text (requires manual review)
How HIPAA Redaction Works
Upload Your Document
Drop a medical record, insurance claim, or healthcare document into SafeRedact. Your file stays in your browser - it's never uploaded to our servers.
AI Detects PHI
Our AI (powered by Claude) scans for all HIPAA identifiers: patient names, dates of birth, SSNs, addresses, medical record numbers, and more.
Review & Adjust
See highlighted PHI in your document. Add additional redactions or remove false positives. You're always in control.
Export De-identified Document
Download a clean PDF with permanent, pixel-level redaction. The original PHI is completely removed, not just hidden.
Privacy-First Architecture
When redacting PHI, how your tool handles files matters as much as the redaction itself.
Other Redaction Tools
- Upload entire document to cloud servers
- PHI stored on external servers (even briefly)
- Third-party staff could access documents
SafeRedact
- Files never leave your browser
- Only extracted text sent for AI analysis
- We only see extracted text — never your original files
Important Note for Covered Entities
SafeRedact is not HIPAA compliant and does not offer Business Associate Agreements (BAAs). Users are solely responsible for regulatory compliance. If your organization is a HIPAA covered entity and requires a BAA, please consult with your compliance team before use. Our privacy-first architecture minimizes exposure, but formal compliance requires appropriate agreements.
HIPAA Redaction Use Cases
Medical Records Requests
Redact third-party information before sharing patient records with attorneys or other requesters.
Insurance Claims
Remove patient identifiers from Explanation of Benefits (EOB) or claims documents.
Research & Studies
De-identify patient data for research purposes or case studies.
Legal Discovery
Prepare medical records for litigation while protecting non-relevant patient information.
Audit Preparation
Create de-identified samples for compliance audits or training purposes.
Breach Notification
Prepare redacted documents for breach notification reports.
Pricing
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HIPAA Redaction FAQ
Is SafeRedact HIPAA compliant?
No. SafeRedact is not HIPAA compliant and does not offer Business Associate Agreements (BAAs). Users are solely responsible for determining whether SafeRedact meets their regulatory requirements.
What types of PHI does SafeRedact detect?
SafeRedact's AI detects common PHI types including names, addresses, dates, SSNs, MRNs, phone numbers, emails, and account numbers. Organizations should verify detection meets their specific requirements. Biometric identifiers and photographs require manual review as they are non-text elements.
Can SafeRedact handle scanned medical records?
Yes. SafeRedact includes OCR (optical character recognition) to extract text from scanned documents and images. The AI then analyzes the extracted text for PHI.
Is the redaction permanent?
Yes. SafeRedact creates pixel-level redactions that permanently remove the underlying content. The redacted information cannot be recovered or extracted from the output file.
Important: SafeRedact is not HIPAA compliant and does not offer Business Associate Agreements (BAAs). Users are solely responsible for determining whether SafeRedact meets their regulatory requirements. This page is for educational purposes only.
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