Master Patient Index

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The Master Patient Index provides a comprehensive overview of a patient’s complete medical history in addition to treatment history. One of the most used software in healthcare facilities provides access to patient information related to accurate and current demographic information, and medical data on past and current patients from multiple departments. The MP1 allows the capability for a healthcare provider to narrow the list down to specifics in order to identify the specific facility which a patient receives care in addition the healthcare professionals which were involved in the care that was provided. With such vast and extensive programming software, errors are pertinent. Errors are often unintentional but can be time consuming and costly …show more content…

Rather than pulling an existing account to continue, the healthcare professional creates a new account and uses that. This poses a problem due to not continuing care. The new account does not contain the patient’s previous care, medication record, lab and test results or treatments and procedures. It’s as if the patient is starting with a blank slate and the existing information is not being utilized. Many times, this happens due to the search of incorrect information in the Master Patient Index. If a patient was assigned a new social security number, had a change of address, or married and took a new last name then finding an existing account would be difficult without diligence. To correct this error, a health information management professional would need to merge the two accounts. This typically involves verifying that the new account and the existing account are indeed the same person, updating the information that caused the error, and moving all of the information into the same account. These corrections may be done with an HIM professional, or could be outsourced to a third-party vendor whose sole responsibility is verifying correct Master Patient Index …show more content…

The term data quality refers to preserving the integrity of the data collection and application for the medical care and treatment of a patient. Well written, thorough, and concise documentation is mandatory in maintaining proper patient records. Patient documentation should include patient’s symptoms, complaints, history, treatment, physical assessments, medication history and other details such as date and time of visit, and proper signatures for the healthcare provider who is documenting the information. Quality data documentation aids in proper diagnosis and treatment plans which reduces the risk of liability for the provider and undue harm for the patient. Something as simple as summarizing a patients complaint without documenting the patients exact words and description of complain can delay a diagnosis due to higher level care personnel working with less information. Documentation does not just affect the care of the visit, improper documentation can hinder a patient’s care after discharge. If a patient requires a follow up for lab testing or medication effectiveness and it is not documented, the result of care will be unknown. Data quality is pertinent as a whole, but more so with certain patient groups or age

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