PHI Masking
Protect sensitive data while working with HL7 messages
Work with real HL7 messages while keeping Protected Health Information hidden from view.
HL7 messages often contain Protected Health Information (PHI): patient names, medical record numbers, dates of birth, addresses, and insurance details. PHI masking lets you work with messages while keeping sensitive fields hidden, useful for screen sharing, demonstrations, training, or shared workstations.
Masking Modes
| Mode | Behavior | Use Case |
|---|---|---|
| Off | All field values displayed as-is | Private work, no observers |
| Hide | PHI replaced with mask character (default: *). Click into a field (or move the text cursor to it) to reveal that single value. | Screen sharing, pair programming |
| Delete | De-identification mode. PHI stays masked in the grid while the editor highlights detected fields in red as a preview. Values are not hidden in the editor. The toolbar dropdown then permanently rewrites the message: Redact (replace with [REDACTED]), Delete (remove values), or Anonymize (replace with synthetic data). This edits the message itself and cannot be undone. | Producing a de-identified message for sharing or testing |
Hide mode: patient name and MRN are masked. Click a masked field to reveal its value.
Cursor Reveal
In Hide mode, moving your cursor to a masked field in the editor temporarily unmasks that single field value. This lets you inspect individual values without exposing the entire message. The value re-masks when you move the cursor away.
Configuration
| Setting | Default | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Mode | Off | Off → Hide → Delete (cycle with toolbar button) |
| Mask Character | * | Character used to replace PHI values in Hide mode |
| Reveal Characters | 0 | Number of leading characters shown unmasked (0 = fully masked) |
Cycle through masking modes with the PHI button in the toolbar. The selected mode persists across sessions.