De-Identification

At Landmark, we work in compliance with HIPAA. HIPAA encourages the protection of all Personal Health Information - PHI.

Protected Health Information (PHI)* Redaction Labels

In accordance with HIPAA regulations, we redact all information classified as Protected Health Information (PHI) from our transcripts. HIPAA defines 18 identifiers that, when linked to health data, make the information individually identifiable.

Below is a list of the labels we use to redact these identifiers during the de-identification process:

Identifier	Redaction Label(s)
Full names	`<Name>`
All elements of dates (except year only)	`<Date>`
Telephone numbers	`<Telephone number>`
Fax numbers	`<Fax number>`
Email addresses	`<Email>`
Social Security numbers	`<SSN>`
Medical record numbers	`<Medical record number>`
Health plan beneficiary numbers	`<Health plan beneficiary>`
Account numbers	`<Account>`
Certificate/license numbers	`<License number>`, `<Certificate>`
Vehicle identifiers (e.g., license plates)	`<Vehicle>`, `<License plate>`, `<Vehicle serial number>`
Device identifiers and serial numbers	`<Device identifier>`, `<Device serial number>`
Web URLs	`<Website>`
Internet Protocol (IP) addresses	`<IP address>`
Biometric identifiers	Redacted (e.g., fingerprints, retinal scans)
Full-face photos and comparable images	Redacted
Geographic information	`<Country>`, `<City>`, `<Town>`, `<County>`, `<Street>`, `<Clinic>`
Employer or educational institutions	`<Workplace>`, `<Organization>`, `<School>`, `<University>`, `<Hospital>`, `<Clinic>`
Unique identifying numbers/codes	`<Number>`

🔒 Additional De-identification Measures

In addition to the 18 HIPAA-defined identifiers, we also remove any other identifying information directly linked to the participants mentioned in the recordings.

We apply the most intuitive and context-appropriate label for each noun.

For example, if a participant states, “I attend Stanford University,” the transcript will redact it as:

“I attend <University>.”

This ensures a consistent, transparent, and protective approach to confidentiality across all transcripts.

*Protected health information (PHI) is any information in the medical record or designated record set that can be used to identify an individual and that was created, used, or disclosed in the course of providing a health care service such as diagnosis or treatment.

💡 All of the above identifiers are systematically removed or masked to ensure HIPAA compliance and safeguard participant privacy.

If the ticket requests the de-identification of names, locations, schools, etc., please replace using the following tags (unless instructed otherwise): etc…

<Name>
<Location>
<School>
<City>
<State>
<Hospital>
<Street>
<Business>
<Country>
etc...

💡

IMPORTANT

No need to de-identify race, gender, brands, medicines, apps, or social networks such as Instagram, YouTube, Facebook, etc. unless it is instructed otherwise.
Do not de-identify the topic of the interview. Example: Organization and/or program.
In case the ticket contains notes about what needs to be de-identified, proceed to remove only what is requested in the notes. Ex: Please remove only people’s names.

There are two types of de-identification: Standard and Partial.

Standard de-identification

When a ticket shows standard de-identification, please remove all identifying nouns related to the participants. DO NOT REMOVE GENERAL INFORMATION. Check the list above.

Partial de-identification

When a ticket shows partial de-identification, please check in "Notes for de-identification" which nouns must be removed and ONLY de-identify such.

Example:

Notes for de-identification: Please remove only the names of people.

In this case, only the names of individuals/people must be de-identified. All other nouns such as location, businesses, organizations, etc. remain in the transcript.

Protected Health Information (PHI) Redaction Labels