16.2.12 Time – Reporting Period

Table 26: Time – Reporting Period Scoring

Characteristics	Score
5 years aggregated	-5
2-4 years aggregated	-3
1 year (e.g., 2001)	0
Bi-Annual	+3
Quarterly	+4
Monthly	+5

Many reports are published based on the calendar year. However, the combination of years of data is an excellent way to provide increased aggregation in a way that allows for more specificity elsewhere, such as county identifiers. Inversely, the smaller the time period in the data, the closer the time period comes to approximating a date. Thus, monthly reported data has a high score of +5.

Of note, the HIPAA Safe Harbor method list includes “All elements of dates (except year) for dates that are directly related to an individual, including birth date, admission date, discharge date, death date, and all ages over 89 and all elements of dates (including year) indicative of such age, except that such ages and elements may be aggregated into a single category of age 90 or older.” This is a potential identifier when in combination with other information. This potential as an identifier influences the higher scores in the Publication Scoring Criteria as the time period for aggregation gets smaller.

The “0” value for this variable is set at one year as this is the criteria for Safe Harbor under the HIPAA de-identification standard.