Medication-list anonymization is the removal of all 18 HIPAA Safe Harbor IDs (45 CFR §164.514(b)) from a current drug sheet. anonym.plus does this locally. The medicines stay readable; the file no longer names the person.
When this applies
A current sheet ties many medicines to one named patient. For a study set or a class handout, you strip the IDs but keep the medicines and doses intact.
How anonym.plus handles it
- Open the file in anonym.plus on your device.
- It scans for the name, dates, MRN, and contacts.
- Local OCR reads scanned sheets, so printed text is caught.
- Confirm the flags; the medicine names are not IDs and stay.
- 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 file (PDF, DOCX, TXT, or EHR export).
- An operator (Replace keeps it readable).
- Optional name map to re-link later if you must.
PHI entity types detected
| Category | anonym.plus entity type | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Names | PERSON | Omar Khan → [PATIENT] |
| Dates | DATE_TIME | updated 06/04 → [DATE] |
| Record IDs | MEDICAL_RECORD_NUMBER | MRN 884213 → [MRN] |
| Contact | PHONE_NUMBER | 0170 555 0147 → [PHONE] |
| Location | LOCATION | 5 Lindenweg → [ADDRESS] |
| Identifiers | US_SSN | 078-05-1120 → [ID] |
Compliance achieved
- Strips all 18 ID classes for HIPAA Safe Harbor (45 CFR §164.514(b)).
- Keeps the medicines, which are not patient IDs.
- Offline work means the tool needs no BAA.
Anonymize medication lists offline — see plans & start free →
Limitations & cautions
Safe Harbor also asks that the rest cannot re-identify the patient. The 18 ID types go; the medicines stay. A rare mix of drugs for a known person can still hint at identity, so review odd cases and weigh Expert Determination.
Frequently asked questions
Are the medicines removed?
No. Drug names are clinical content, not Safe Harbor identifiers, so they stay. Only the patient IDs go, which keeps the file useful for study.
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.
Will it still read well after the swap?
Yes. Replace puts a steady label in place of each ID, so the text flows and names no one.