National Committee on Vital and Health Statistics

Subcommittee on Standards and Security

Hearing on the Unique Health Identifier for Individuals:
Description of Panels

Panel 1. Should we have a unique individual identifier for health care and what are the alternatives for such an identifier?

This panel will focus on the question of the propriety of such an identifier and the Federal government’s role in administering it. Issues for the panel include:

• Why or why not have a unique individual identifier for health care?
• Health plans and health care providers already have systems for identifying subscribers and patients. How can we improve upon the identifiers for individuals that are used in health care today?
• What are the viable alternatives to a unique individual identifier?
• What impacts would a unique identifier for health care have on an individual’s right to privacy?
• How should the Federal government be involved?

Panel 2. What are the cost-benefit implications of a unique individual identifier?

Given that the law requires an identifier, what are the likely costs and benefits throughout the implementation process and beyond? Issues for the panel include:

• For health plans, health care providers, vendors, etc., what is involved in implementing a unique ID?
• What would it cost a health plan to implement a unique ID? What would it cost the Federal government to set up and run a system for assigning unique IDs?
• What are the financial benefits for health plans, health care providers, health care clearinghouses, etc. of having an identifier?
• What additional infrastructure would be required for setting up and issuing the unique ID?
• When should the identifier be implemented? How long should the process take?

Panel 3. Assuming an identifier must be chosen, what is the best identifier to use?

Using the White Paper discussion of options as a base, this panel should discuss the pros and cons of the options, and offer suggestions for additional options not described in the paper. Issues for the panel include:

• What are the ideal characteristics of the identifier (structure, length, etc.)?
• What are the best criteria for choosing the identifier?
• Should the identifier be encrypted? How? Under what circumstances should encryption be required?

Panel 4. Allowable uses of a unique health identifier and safeguards to protect it.

HIPAA includes severe penalties for misuse of health identifiers. This panel should address the legally allowable uses for a unique health identifier and what safeguards should be in place to prevent unauthorized uses. Issues for the panel include:

• Who should be allowed to use the identifier and for what purposes should they be permitted to use it?
• Should any information be publicly available?
• How can privacy rights and public health needs both be accommodated?
• Under what circumstances should identifiers (plain, encrypted, or linked) be available for research purposes?

7/1/98