Term: Personal Health Identification Number (PHIN)

Glossary Definition

Last Updated: 2015-03-13

Definition:

The Personal Health Identification Number (PHIN) is a unique nine-digit numeric identifier assigned by Manitoba Health to every person registered for health insurance in Manitoba, and to non-residents who are treated in Manitoba at facilities which submit claims electronically. The PHIN was first introduced in 1984 for use internally at Manitoba Health. In 1993, the PHIN was issued to all Manitobans on a new Health Registration Certificate (Toll F., 2003, Key Events and Dates in the Manitoba Health Care System, 1990 to 2003) as a unique identifier for the Manitoba Pharmacare program, which collects data for the Drug Program Information Network (DPIN). The PHIN is now used as a unique identifier for almost all health service-related encounters.

At MCHP, the PHIN is either a scrambled (encyrpted) version of the Manitoba Health PHIN or an alphanumeric identifier assigned by MCHP to individuals who do not have scrambled numeric PHINs. See the sections on Personal Health Identification Number (PHIN) and De-identified Data in the Manitoba Health Insurance Registry / MCHP Research Registry - Overview concept for more information.

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