Which of the following is NOT patient-identifying information?

Which of the following is NOT patient-identifying information?

• A. Name
• B. Fingerprints
• C. Address
• D. Aggregate data

Answer: (D)

Identifying information is data that can be used to single out a specific patient. A person’s name, home address, and even biometric data like fingerprints are identifiers because they uniquely point to that individual. Aggregate data, by contrast, is data that has been summarized or grouped so the individual cannot be distinguished—think averages or totals across a group without any personal details. Because of that, aggregate data is not patient-identifying.

Identifying information is data that can be used to single out a specific patient. A person’s name, home address, and even biometric data like fingerprints are identifiers because they uniquely point to that individual. Aggregate data, by contrast, is data that has been summarized or grouped so the individual cannot be distinguished—think averages or totals across a group without any personal details. Because of that, aggregate data is not patient-identifying.