Pathology Narrative De-Identification with anonym.plus

Healthcare Solution · Clinical Documentation · HIPAA Safe Harbor (45 CFR §164.514(b))

Pathology-narrative de-identification is the removal of patient and accession IDs from the free-text part of a report. It meets HIPAA Safe Harbor (45 CFR §164.514(b)). anonym.plus runs locally and keeps the gross, micro, and diagnosis text whole.

When this applies

These reports drive tumor registries and teaching sets. But each one carries the name, accession number, and sending doctor. Strip those before you share it.

How anonym.plus handles it

1. Load the report into anonym.plus on your device.
2. It finds the name, accession or case number, and sender.
3. The gross, micro, and diagnosis text stays in place.
4. Swap IDs with steady labels across linked specimens.
5. Save the clean report on your device.

What you need to provide

• The report (PDF, DOCX, or LIS export).
• An operator (Replace works well for registries).
• Optional accession map to keep one case's parts linked.

PHI entity types detected

Compliance achieved

• Supports HIPAA Safe Harbor (45 CFR §164.514(b)) for the text.
• Keeps the diagnostic story for registry and research use.
• Local work keeps lab data inside the site.

Limitations & cautions

A rare tumor type plus a collection date and a small catchment area can re-identify, even after IDs go. For uncommon cases, make dates broad and use Expert Determination rather than Safe Harbor alone.