Since the vaccine rollout began, coalition members have received reports of vaccination registrations causing thousands of duplicate records within a single system, costing some hospitals and health systems at least $12,000 per day to rectify these errors. There are also reports of some vaccination sites being denied additional vaccines because patient record systems incorrectly show patients as not having received previously administered vaccinations.
"The lack of a national strategy to improve patient identification and matching continues to put patients at risk and compromises our response to public health emergencies, as the current COVID-19 pandemic has painfully revealed," said Blair Childs, Premier Inc. Senior Vice President of Public Affairs. "Advancing policies laid out in this framework will improve the nation's pandemic response and overall public safety. It will also remove obstacles to care coordination and nationwide interoperability, as well as save millions in associated costs for the healthcare system."
Patient ID Now represents patient groups, physicians, providers, health information professionals, health information technology companies, and public health, and is committed to advancing a nationwide strategy to address patient identification. On Capitol Hill, the coalition is currently advocating for the repeal of an archaic ban within the federal budget that hinders HHS' ability to advance efforts to address the vital issue of patient misidentification. The Framework released today is the next step in advancing the country toward a system that accurately connects patients to their health information.
Here are what leaders of other coalition member organizations said about the Framework:
"Intermountain Healthcare is proud to be a founding member of the Patient ID Now Coalition," said Intermountain Healthcare Vice President and Chief Information Officer Ryan Smith. "The need for accurate patient identification is a critical public health and safety issue. Release of this Framework for a National Strategy on Patient Identity is an important step forward toward an effective national strategy on patient identification. This essential but missing functionality would add significantly to providers' ability to manage care safely, and if it were in place, it would assist in effectively battling the coronavirus. We look forward to working with our colleagues to achieve an effective nationwide strategy that will enable patients to be accurately identified to their health information."
