HEALTHCARE AGENTS · PATIENT DE-IDENTIFICATION
THE METHOD
01
Classify, then segment
The agent classifies every field and span of free text, and segments Part 2 records before anything is transformed.
02
Measure the risk against numbers, not a checklist
The agent measures k-anonymity, l-diversity and t-closeness across the full linked record, each against a threshold the release must clear.
03
Change only what the numbers say to change
The agent suppresses or generalises only where a measurement misses, and shifts dates per patient so intervals survive.
04
The agent produces the evidence, then a person signs it
The agent drafts the determination. A qualified statistician signs it, and a checksum binds it to the exact data set.
WHAT IT PRODUCES
Built and run by the agent in your environment or ours, designed against the risk model.
Method, analysis and determination, drafted by the agent, signed by a qualified statistician, bound to the data set by checksum.
A shorter document for authorized recipients, so the full method log stays with you.
The determination holds for 24 months, with re-attestation when the data or population changes materially.
The agent keeps measuring between attestations, because a growing data set changes its risk profile.
THE SYSTEMS IT READS
Encounters, notes and MRNs
Inpatient records and orders
Community hospital charts
Ambulatory charts and billing
SUD and behavioral health programs
Treatment program records
Identifiers inline, in free text
DICOM headers carry names
HL7 feeds and ordering data
Members, subscribers and dates
Part 2 consent and revocation
Tokens for linkage after release
FAQ
One of the two de-identification methods HIPAA allows, under 45 CFR 164.514(b)(1). A qualified statistician measures re-identification risk and determines in writing that it is very small.
No. There is no certification or register of approved attesters. The rule asks for appropriate statistical expertise and documented methods and results.
Yes, on its own track from the start. Part 2 records are segmented before any transformation and governed separately, because they carry obligations HIPAA alone does not.
Do we need a data team to run this?
No. We connect your systems, configure the agent to your rules and run the layer underneath it. Your team reviews and approves the agent’s work; nobody has to build or maintain data pipelines.
Do we have to move our data into a new warehouse first?
No. The agent works across the systems you already run, through a governed context layer that keeps every figure traced to the record it came from. If you already have a warehouse, it becomes one more source.
Why not build this ourselves?
You can, and for some teams it is the right call. The build is rarely the hard part. Resolving the same patient and identifier across systems, keeping definitions consistent and getting the team to use it every week is where internal projects stall. We take that on so your engineers do not become platform operators.
What are your security and compliance standards?
OutcomeCatalyst is HIPAA-aligned and SOC 2 Type 2 aligned, with the formal audit underway and expected to complete before year-end.
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