What is medical data that are combined without patient identifiers called?

The term for medical data that are combined without patient identifiers is "aggregate data." This type of data is collected from multiple sources and summarized to provide insights into trends, patterns, or overall health statistics while ensuring individual patient privacy. By removing identifying information, aggregate data can be used for reporting, research, and analysis without risking patient confidentiality.

For example, if a study examines the occurrence of a specific type of cancer within a large population, the data can be aggregated to reflect the total number of cases, survival rates, or treatment outcomes, all while keeping the identities of the patients confidential.

This method is essential in healthcare analytics for ensuring compliance with privacy regulations such as HIPAA in the United States, which governs the handling of protected health information. Aggregate data helps organizations make informed decisions and improve healthcare outcomes at a population level while safeguarding individual privacy.