A medical assistant is preparing to print an after-visit summary for a patient. Which direct identifier should the assistant verify to protect the patient's health information?

Verifying the mailing address is crucial for protecting a patient's health information when preparing to print an after-visit summary. The mailing address is a direct identifier because it can precisely connect the patient to their location, making it vital for ensuring that the summary is not sent to the wrong individual. This helps in maintaining confidentiality and complying with regulations such as HIPAA, which emphasize the importance of protecting personally identifiable information.

While the other direct identifiers, such as the patient's date of birth, email address, and phone number, are also important for identification purposes and have implications for patient privacy, focusing on the mailing address is particularly significant in this context.

Mailing addresses can be used not only for communication purposes but also in identifying individuals, therefore, ensuring accuracy is essential for both safeguarding the patient's information and for ensuring that any correspondence related to their health care is directed appropriately.