---
title: "How do I customize data types in the health information report?"
url: "https://dm0bkdes5q7a2ls.productfruits.help/en/article/51ab14d8-68f9-4023-80e5-58ec5c01fa2a"
language: "en"
last_updated: "2026-05-07T02:45:51.764Z"
---

# How do I customize data types in the health information report?

Customizing data types for a health information report involves two main activities: creating custom detectors (for unique medical identifiers) and building logical rules (to ensure context).

In Spirion, you don't just "edit" a report; you customize the **Data Types** and **Sensitive Data Definitions (SDDs)** that feed into it.

### 1\. Create Custom Detectors (The "What")

If your organization uses unique identifiers (like a specific internal MRN format) that aren't covered by the built-in "Health Information" AnyFind, you must create a custom Data Type:

-   **Regex (Pattern-based):** Use this if your MRNs follow a specific structure (for example, `MED-12345-X`). You can build a regular expression to match this exact pattern.
-   **Dictionaries (List-based):** If you have a list of sensitive drug names, specific research project codes, or a controlled list of patient IDs, upload them as a Dictionary.
-   **Keywords:** Add specific terms like "Diagnosis," "Prognosis," or "Patient History" to flag documents that contain these medical headers.

### 2\. Build Sensitive Data Definitions (SDDs) (The "Context")

Health information is often only "sensitive" when multiple elements appear together.

Use Sensitive Data Definitions (**SDDs)** to create these logical rules:

-   **Proximity Rules:** Create an SDD that only triggers if a **Patient Name** (AnyFind) is found **NEAR** an **ICD-10 Code** (Custom Regex). This drastically reduces false positives from random numbers.
-   **Required Combinations:** Set a rule that requires both a **Social Security Number** AND a **Medical Record Number** to be present in the same file before it is labeled as "High-Risk PHI."
-   **Exclusion Logic:** You can customize your definition to *exclude* certain terms (for example, "Ignore if the word 'Sample' or 'Template' is present").

### 3\. Apply to the Report

Once your custom Data Types and Sensitive Data Definitions are created perform the following steps:

1.  **Update your Scan Policy:** Ensure the new custom types are selected in the "Sensitive Data Types" step of the scan wizard.
2.  **Filter the Report:** In the **Report Builder**, use the "Data Type" filter to select only your custom health-related definitions.
3.  **Group by Sensitive Data Definition:** Instead of seeing thousands of individual "Name" matches, group your report by your **"Contextual PHI"** Sensitive Data Definition. This shows you only the files that truly matter for HIPAA compliance.

### Best Practice:

-   **Don't rely on AnyFinds alone.** Built-in detectors are great for general data (like SSNs), but health information is highly specific to each hospital or clinic.
-   Always layer a **Custom Regex for your specific MRN format** on top of the built-in Health AnyFind to ensure 100% coverage of your unique environment.

## Summary

Customize by building **Regex/Dictionaries** for your specific identifiers and using **SDDs** to link them together with proximity logic. This ensures your health report is accurate, contextual, and audit-ready.