Master patient index is a critical component of electronic medical records
Date: July 27, 2010
Categories: Health Information Exchange
As more healthcare providers embark on the road to electronic
health records (EHRs), the importance of the master patient index
(MPI) is coming to the fore as well.
What was once a simple index card file is now becoming a critical
element of the new healthcare management technologies designed to
streamline the delivery of care and make it cheaper. Experts such
as Vicki Wheatley, who wrote about the quality impact of MPI in the
Journal of American Health Information Management Association, also
point to the importance of protecting MPI from security breaches
that can seriously impact the functioning of a healthcare
organization.
For all these reasons, The Mount Sinai Medical Center - which in
addition to clinical care also conducts physician education and
research - is using new MPI technology to integrate its services
and improve data quality.
Similar solutions have also been adopted by health information
exchanges, such as Delaware Health Information Network
(DHIN).
The organization receives results and reports from hospitals and
labs for test results, admission, discharge or transfer face sheets
as well as radiology reports. It also uses an MPI and record locator service
to facilitate record searching and results delivery, according to
Gina Perez, DHIN executive director, quoted by CMIO.