Keeping data secure: protected health information and medical equipment.

What is the patient’s name? What is the patient’s age? Is this the right patient record to send vital signs data to? Will the ultrasound images be pulled up for the correct patient when the physician views them? Maintaining the security of protected health information (PHI) in medical equipment is necessary to maintain a patient’s basic right to privacy, and to provide safe, effective care. But this very information needed for care of the patient can also lead to adverse consequences if it falls into the hands of those with malicious intent. Names, birth dates, Social Security numbers, and other private information can be used in identity theft, costing the victim dearly in time and money. PHI may exist in the following list of identifiers, and must be treated with special care. 1. Names 2. All geographical identifiers smaller than a state 3. Dates (other than year) directly related to an individual 4. Phone numbers 5. Fax numbers 6. E-mail addresses 7. Social Security numbers 8. Medical record numbers 9. Health insurance beneficiary numbers 10. Account numbers 11. Certificate/license numbers 12. Vehicle identifiers and serial numbers, including license plate numbers 13. Device identifiers and serial numbers (specific to an individual, such as an implantable device) 14. Web uniform resource locators (URLs) directly related to an individual 15. Internet protocol (IP) address numbers directly related to an individual 16. Biometric identifiers, including finger, retinal, and voice prints 17. Full face photographic images and any comparable images 18. Any other unique identifying number, characteristic, or code