Every healthcare provider has at least one index of patients, and that index must be carefully curated within the organization to ensure each patient record reflects the correct person and all of that patient’s identities across the organization. We know how easy it can be for a patient index to get “messy” with records containing any number of identity issues, such as duplications, overlaid records, and overlaps across sources.
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office of the National Coordinator (ONC) defined the target identity issue rate in an organization’s EMPI to be at or below one-half of one percent. However, today’s electronic health record (EHR) and hospital information system (HIS) applications do not have the specialized capacity or technology to achieve and maintain such a low level of identity issues.
ARGO strives to assist its customers to meet and exceed the ONC target by aiming for the ideal condition within any organization’s EMPI, which is “One Person, One Record” across all systems and sources.
Choosing the right EMPI for your organization can be a challenge in a marketplace that offers varying philosophies, technology approaches, and degrees of accuracy with respect to the management of patient identities. In addition to these differences, successful organizations consider a number of key factors contributing to the choice of EMPI solution:
- Data quality
- Matching accuracy
- Integration
- Robust Resolution tools
- Management KPIs
- Resource Commitment
For more information, download the “ARGO EMPI Overview” interview with David Engebos, President and COO of ARGO.
