What is an acceptable example of identifiable information?

An acceptable example of identifiable information is the medical record number. This particular piece of information is considered identifiable because it uniquely identifies an individual’s medical history and is linked directly to their health information. According to HIPAA regulations, identifiable information is any data that can be used to identify a patient, and a medical record number certainly meets this criterion as it is specific to an individual.

In contrast, while the place of employment may reveal information about an individual, it does not uniquely identify their health information in the same way that a medical record number does. The quality of care and type of treatment provided can relate to patient care but do not serve to identify a specific individual and, therefore, are not considered identifiable information under HIPAA. Identifiable information must directly connect to an individual, which is primarily fulfilled by items like a medical record number.