De-identifying Ultrasound Footage
HIPAA
Compliance
Achieved
Leading healthcare provider works with iMerit to de-identify and clean burn-in on 20,000 ultrasound videos through automation and human-in-the-loop verification for healthcare AI applications.
Challenge
This top three healthcare provider network was looking to utilize their vast repository of ultrasound videos. Due to the sensitive nature of patient data, radiology scans containing personally identifiable information (PII) and protected health information (PHI) are subject to stringent data protection regulations such as the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA).
To share their ultrasound videos, all personally identifiable information including metadata needed to be removed. The de-identification solution needed to be automated, as scans containing identifiers could not be analyzed by human eyes until after de-identification. Recognizing the need for a scalable solution, this company came to iMerit for a solution.
“Data sharing in healthcare is a constant challenge. With iMerit, we found a unique solution. ”
Solution
iMerit implemented a customized de-identification process tailored to the specific types of radiology scans and data formats used by the healthcare provider. This process utilized Ango Hub automation to identify and remove all PII and PHI from the images and associated metadata. This data included names, account information, medical record numbers, health plan beneficiary numbers, and biometric identifiers.
After de-identification, a team of iMerit healthcare data specialists reviewed each video to ensure all data was removed across all 18 HIPAA protected health identifiers. Throughout the process, iMerit adhered to strict data security protocols and compliance guidelines to protect the de-identified data. After cleaning and anonymizing the data, it was ready for structuring.
Result
The de-identified dataset became a valuable resource for developing and training AI/ML models, leading to innovations in disease diagnosis, treatment planning, and patient care. The process ensured full compliance with HIPAA and other privacy laws, protecting patient privacy and mitigating legal and reputational risks for the healthcare provider.
With this data, the healthcare provider opened new revenue streams which could be reinvested in patient care and further technological advancements. Today, this company continues working with iMerit to de-identify and structure radiology data, leading to innovations in disease diagnosis, treatment planning, and patient care.
“iMerit had an answer for everything. The entire process was effortless.”
