Scattered patient data has plagued the healthcare industry for decades, but this pandemic has opened the door to a whole new set of identity management challenges. When patients are eager to register on the patient portal and book vaccines, many people unknowingly create multiple accounts and forget that they have already registered. The fluctuating unemployment rate means that many people are forced to skip health plans, which means their records are transferred between different organizations. As a result, data errors appeared quietly and identity updates were ignored.
Incomplete and inaccurate patient identification data can lead to suboptimal clinical decisions, poor patient experience, and higher costs for patients and providers.A sort of Study in 2020 It was found that one in five patients found an error in their electronic health record (EHR). Many clinicians have also witnessed medical errors caused by patient misidentification. Hospitals lose millions of dollars in claims that are rejected due to identity errors each year, and this can be easily avoided through standardized identity management methods.
in a Experian Health’s recent survey, We found that identity management has become a major challenge faced by healthcare providers. Almost half of the interviewees stated that inaccurate and incomplete patient data hindered follow-up contact and patient outreach.This is also very important for patients-a 2020 survey The Pew Charitable Trust found that due to the pandemic, four in ten people are more supportive of data sharing between providers, and twice as many people are open to the idea of biometric authentication.
“Patients still welcome providers’ active outreach, but more people say their providers have not done so, and 45% of providers say that inaccurate or incomplete patient data will hinder them.”
– Experian Health’s patient access status, June 2021
Providers know that a 360-degree view of their patients is essential to improve patient outcomes and provide a positive patient experience; however, repetitive and incomplete data continues to hinder their efforts.Use one Unique patient identity (UPI) and powerful Authentication With solutions, providers can achieve a single, accurate and current record and solve these data standardization challenges.
Data standardization creates a single source of truth for each patient
Although both parties recognize the need to develop national standards for patient identification, legal barriers have prevented the adoption of a unified national identification code. In the absence of a nationwide approach, providers must take the lead to ensure high-quality patient records and prevent duplication, gaps, and errors.
The first step in data standardization is to determine the type of patient information your organization needs.
- What data must be collected from patients?
- Which form fields are required and which are optional?
- How should the data fields be formatted when updating patient records?
Standardize data collection and ensure Content and format Consistency will help create a reliable record for each patient.
Next, a Universal Identity Manager (UIM) A single view of each patient can be saved and protected, creating standardized methods when adding new data. The software assigns a unique identifier to each patient and tracks them throughout their healthcare process. By using Experian data and patient list reference and probability matching technology, UIM uses unique identifiers to accurately match patients’ identities and medical history, helping clinical and non-clinical staff provide the best care and support.
Confirm that the patient is who they say
Having an accurate picture of each patient is only the first step. Next, the provider must be certain that each record can be correctly matched with the individual trying to log in to the portal or sitting in the waiting room. If the clinician matches it with the wrong person, a complete and up-to-date record will be useless.
arrive Solve patient matching challenges, Most healthcare organizations assign employees or contractors to repair and clean up data records. Without a software-driven identity management engine, these teams will be forced to rely on manual processes that are time-consuming, costly, and still error-prone.
In addition to the above-mentioned consistent method of content and format, providers should also use cutting-edge identification technology, risk-based authentication and knowledge-based questions, and each touch point in the healthcare process has a reliable method to check And modify patient records.
Tools like this Authentication It can easily identify each patient and help maintain a clean and accurate patient database. The demographic data of each patient can be verified and corrected during the pre-registration, so the provider knows that the person is who they are talking about there. This is even more important because the pandemic has caused more patients to choose remote and virtual services and face-to-face care.
As the pandemic promotes long-term changes, future patient status
Since March 2020, the lives of many Americans have undergone major changes. Whether it is the loss of a loved one or job, a change of address, or a change in health attitudes, the lives of patients are changing. The healthcare system must adapt to follow suit. As digital applications and tools become more and more popular, more and more participants are involved in providing healthcare services.These developments mean More patient data is being generated and shared, And more diverse and distributed sources.
A powerful authentication system based on standardized data can help eliminate barriers in patient records and provide a better patient experience and improved health outcomes.
Providers do not need to overhaul their systems of record, but by investing in incremental changes to improve data quality and governance, they can accelerate the process of data standardization. Talk to Experian Health Learn how our proven tools can help your organization provide better patient data quality and build a universal identity management system suitable for the future.
