Utilisation review de-identification is the removal of UK GDPR Art. 9 identifiers from a utilisation management (UM) record. Since 31 July 2023 the FCA's Consumer Duty in PRIN 2A requires the insurer to avoid causing foreseeable harm and to deliver good outcomes, which is exactly what a slow or unclear length-of-stay decision risks getting wrong. anonym.plus runs on your device. The decision data stays clear, but the page no longer names the person.
When this applies
A UM record names the patient, logs the admission, and gives an approval decision the insurer must reach without causing the foreseeable harm PRIN 2A now addresses directly. To study length-of-stay trends or train reviewers, clear those IDs first.
How anonym.plus handles it
- Open the file in anonym.plus on your device.
- Local OCR reads any scanned worksheet too.
- The tool flags patient names, dates, and ID numbers.
- Shift the admit and exit dates while you keep the day count.
- Replace each ID with a steady alias, or redact it.
- Save the clean copy on your machine.
What you need to provide
- The UM record (PDF, DOCX, or export).
- A date-shift option to keep length-of-stay maths.
- An operator to suit the later use.
Patient data entity types detected
| Category | anonym.plus entity type | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Names | PERSON | Patient G. Maes → [PATIENT] |
| Member ID | UK_HEALTH_INSURANCE_MEMBER | Mbr BUP-124471 → [MEMBER_ID] |
| Dates | DATE_TIME | Admit/discharge → shifted [DATE] |
| Record IDs | MEDICAL_RECORD_NUMBER | MRN 220914 → [MRN] |
| Provider | PERSON | Reviewer Dr Pohl → [REVIEWER] |
| Phone | PHONE_NUMBER | +44 1632 960662 → [PHONE] |
Compliance achieved
- Strips UK GDPR Art. 9 health identifiers from the file.
- Keeps the decision reviewable against the FCA Consumer Duty in PRIN 2A.
- Date-shift keeps length-of-stay gaps for analysis.
- Fully offline — no cloud upload required.
- On-device AES-256-GCM guards working copies.
Anonymise utilisation review records offline — see plans & start free →
Limitations & cautions
Date-shift keeps the day count but breaks links to outside logs unless you shift those by the same offset. A rare length of stay tied to a small site can re-identify even after IDs go.
Frequently asked questions
How does date-shift keep the file useful?
All the dates move by one steady offset, so the days between admit and discharge hold even though the real dates hide. That gap is what length-of-stay study needs, not the actual calendar dates.
Does the approval decision stay?
Yes. The decision and the reason stay, which matters because the FCA's Consumer Duty now expects that reasoning to hold up to scrutiny. Only the IDs change.
Can a scanned worksheet be cleaned?
Yes. Local OCR reads scanned pages, so IDs in image files are caught the same way as in a digital record.