Referral-letter de-identification is the removal of patient and provider IDs from a referral. It meets HIPAA Safe Harbor (45 CFR §164.514(b)). anonym.plus works on your device and keeps the clinical question that makes the referral useful.
When this applies
These letters move between practices. They carry the full patient identity, the sender's details, and history. For teaching files or audits, clear those IDs first.
How anonym.plus handles it
- Load the letter into anonym.plus on your device.
- The tool flags patient, sender, and addressee names plus contacts.
- It scans the header and signature block, not just the body.
- Swap or black out the confirmed IDs.
- Save the clean letter on your device.
What you need to provide
- The letter (PDF, DOCX, or scan).
- An operator; Replace keeps the letter readable.
- Optional allow-list to keep your letterhead text.
PHI entity types detected
| Category | anonym.plus entity type | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Names | PERSON | J. Marek → [PATIENT] |
| Names | PERSON | Dr. Lindqvist → [PROVIDER] |
| Contact | PHONE_NUMBER | 030-555-2211 → [PHONE] |
| Location | LOCATION | Praxis am Markt → [PRACTICE] |
| Dates | DATE_TIME | DOB 04/1971 → [DOB] |
| Record IDs | MEDICAL_RECORD_NUMBER | Ref# 7781 → [REF_ID] |
Compliance achieved
- Supports HIPAA Safe Harbor (45 CFR §164.514(b)) for letters.
- Header, body, and signature block are all scanned.
- Runs offline with AES-256-GCM at rest — no cloud relay.
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Limitations & cautions
Letterhead, fax footers, and logos can hold names. OCR helps, but check scanned letterheads with care. A birth date cut to a year still counts as a date under Safe Harbor when it is tied to the person.
Frequently asked questions
Should I remove the sending doctor's name too?
Provider names are not patient PHI. But for blinded teaching or research you will usually swap them. anonym.plus can flag patient and provider names together or apart.
How are birth dates handled for Safe Harbor?
All dates tied to the person, birth dates included, must be removed or made broad. The tool flags them as DATE_TIME.
Can I process a scanned letter?
Yes. Local OCR reads scanned pages, so IDs in image letters are caught.