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Implementing a system that can accurately identify patients isn’t as simple as adding a field to an EMR system. But it is going to require “a mobilization and educational effort similar to the one that made EMR usage pervasive,” says Mitch Parker.
Before we can get into the specifics of why a national patient identification system is necessary, it’s important to reflect on the changes the industry has seen in the past 20 years when it comes to data access and privacy, says Mitch Parker.
Unlike in years past, healthcare IT leaders now have access to some of the most influential rule makers and legislators, making it all the more critical to keep plugging away and “shoot for something better,” says CIO Michael Martz.
The most effective way for CIOs and other leaders to continue to drive for change in health IT policy? To share your stories, say Congress representatives Doris Matsui, Bill Johnson, and Bill Foster, who discussed their involvement in telehealth, patient matching, and other key areas.
Like Bill Murray in Groundhog Day, Chuck Christian keeps coming back to one topic: patient identification, and it will keep happening until healthcare finds a reliable way to match patients, he says in this post.
