The THCIC newsletter released on April 11, 2022 contains a reminder about acceptable use cases for reporting a patient's Social Security Number as "999999999".
Stratasan's Star data collection portal now displays a tooltip with details on the circumstances allowing for a default Patient SSN value and other criteria the SSN value must follow.
To see these helpful tooltips on the Star portal, hover your pointer over the "i" circle next to the NEW VALUE field.
Please see the text below from the latest THCIC Newsletter, which can be found here: https://www.dshs.texas.gov/thcic/Texas-Health-Care-Information-Collection-Numbered-Letters/
To be added to the THCIC Newsletter distribution list, please email thcichelp@dshs.texas.gov..
SSN Unknown Value
Texas Administrative Code, Chapter 421, requires all reporting facilities to report each patient’s Social Security Number (SSN) to THCIC.
THCIC allows for the use of “999999999” for SSNs only in certain circumstances:
• newborns whose SSN is unknown
• foreigners who do not have social security numbers
• patients who cannot provide social security numbers.
Facilities are expected to report valid SSNs at all other times.
THCIC discovered an increase in the use of the social security number unknown value “999999999” instead of the required SSN.
Enforcement of patients social security numbers may be implemented by THCIC in the near future.