Inquiry anonymization is the removal of all 18 HIPAA Safe Harbor IDs (45 CFR §164.514(b)) from a medical-information enquiry. anonym.plus does this locally. The clinical question stays; the file no longer names the enquirer.
When this applies
An enquiry to a MedInfo team names the patient and the asking clinician. To log it for trend work or training, you strip those IDs but keep the question.
How anonym.plus handles it
- Open the enquiry in anonym.plus on your device.
- It scans the text for patient and enquirer names.
- Dates, contacts, and IDs get flagged in the entry.
- Confirm the flags; the product and question stay as non-IDs.
- Swap each ID for a label, or black it out.
- Save the clean copy; the source stays on your machine.
What you need to provide
- The enquiry (DOCX, PDF, TXT, or email export).
- An operator (Replace keeps the question readable).
- Optional allow-list for product terms.
PHI entity types detected
| Category | anonym.plus entity type | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Names | PERSON | asking GP → [ENQUIRER] |
| Names | PERSON | patient named → [PATIENT] |
| Dates | DATE_TIME | received 18 Apr → [DATE] |
| Contact | EMAIL_ADDRESS | gp@example.com → [EMAIL] |
| Contact | PHONE_NUMBER | 030 555 2211 → [PHONE] |
| Identifiers | ID | inquiry ref 33120 → [ID] |
Compliance achieved
- Strips all 18 ID classes for HIPAA Safe Harbor (45 CFR §164.514(b)).
- Keeps the product and the clinical question, which are not IDs.
- Offline work means the tool needs no BAA.
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Limitations & cautions
Enquiries are free text and may quote a real case. The product name stays, since it is not patient PHI. Review any case detail that, with a place or a rare event, could still point to one person after direct IDs go.
Frequently asked questions
Is the product name removed?
No. A product name is not patient PHI, so it stays. Only the patient and enquirer IDs are taken out, which keeps the enquiry useful for trend work.
Does this need a BAA?
No. The tool runs on your own device with no cloud step, so no outside party touches the data and the tool itself needs no BAA.
Can I log a batch of enquiries?
Yes. Point anonym.plus at a folder and it cleans each file on your device.