Patient Identity and Patient Record Matching

Patient matching is defined as the identification and linking of one patient's data within and across health systems in order to obtain a comprehensive view of that patient's health care record. At a minimum, this is accomplished by linking multiple demographic data fields such as name, birth date, phone number, and address. Patient matching is a critical component to interoperability and the nation's health information technology infrastructure.

In December 2019, a Congressional Appropriations Agreement for 2020 directed ONC, along with other pertinent Federal agencies, to provide a report to Congress studying and evaluating current technological and operational methods that improve identity and matching of patients. It also requests analysis of the risks and benefits of unique patient identifier (UPI) standards.