Disclosures for Emergency Preparedness - A Decision Tool: Limited Data Set (LDS)

A covered entity may disclose a LDS for public health purposes, including those that are emergency preparedness activities. The covered entity must have a data use agreement in order to disclose the LDS.

A LDS is protected health information that excludes the following direct identifiers of the individual or of relatives, employers, or household members of the individual:

• Names
• Postal address information, other than town or city, State, and zip code
• Telephone numbers
• Fax numbers
• Electronic mail addresses
• Social Security numbers
• Medical record numbers
• Health-plan beneficiary numbers
• Account numbers
• Certificate and license numbers
• Vehicle identifiers and serial numbers, including license plate numbers
• Device identifiers and serial numbers
• Web Universal Resource Locators (URLs)
• Internet Protocol (IP) address numbers
• Biometric identifies including fingerprints and voice prints
• Full-face photographic images and any comparable image