ACTION NEEDED: Tell Congress to Repeal Section 510 on Patient Identification

March 24, 2021

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Patient ID Day is today! Provided are several resources and calls to action to help support this important AHIMA advocacy initiative. To maximize the safety, security, availability, and integrity of patient health records, certain processes must be in place to ensure proper identification and matching of patients to their unique health information in health IT systems. The ability to properly identify individuals is imperative to patient safety and advancing interoperability across the healthcare ecosystem.

We need YOUR HELP to ensure that all health information professionals contact their elected officials and urge them to repeal section 510 of the FY22 appropriation bill. With many new members of Congress this year, congressional leaders need to hear from AHIMA members and assure that every single member of Congress is contacted by our members and hears our voices. #patientIDnow

ACTION NEEDED: Tell Congress to

Repeal Section 510 on Patient Identification

March 24th is Patient ID Day!

Congress is in the midst of creating its Fiscal Year 2022 (FY22) appropriations bills, and we need your help to ensure we continue to keep the progress made in recent years on patient identification and matching. For nearly two decades, innovation and industry progress around patient identification and matching has been stifled due to broad interpretation of Section 510 of the Labor-HHS bill. In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic and vaccination efforts, the need to lift this outdated ban is more urgent than ever.

As an AHIMA member, you are the voice of health information on the Hill.

Now, while Congress is working to create the Fiscal Year 2022 spending bills, we are empowering you with tools you can use to contact your Members of Congress and ask them to remove this archaic ban from the Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies Appropriations bill.

Email your Members of Congress

Share your support on social media with these sample posts and encourage others

to advocate for a patient identification strategy. If you use Facebook, using the "I Support Patient ID Day" frame for your profile picture. #patientIDnow

Sample Tweets:

Support removal of Sec. 510 of Labor-H bill to allow patient identification strategy to advance in order to improve patient safety, outcomes and lower costs. Patients deserve better. #patientIDnow

COVID-19 highlighted the need to address patient misidentification. Without a national strategy, efforts to study the disease and roll out a vaccine are hindered. [Senator/Representative], please repeal Sec. 510 of Labor-H bill now. #patientIDnow

We need data to inform public health. The lack of accurate information in patient records risks not just individual patients, but public health efforts as a whole. [Senator/Representative], I ask you to repeal Sec. 510 of Labor-H bill. #patientIDnow

Congress must act on repealing Section 510 from the Labor-HHS bill and support the creation of a national strategy around patient identification. Contact your Members of Congress and ask them to remove this outdated ban. #patientIDnow

Patient misidentification costs the average healthcare facility $17.4 million per year in denied claims and lost revenue. It’s time to address patient misidentification. #patientIDnow

Sample Facebook Posts:

There’s only one you. But sometimes your personal information is so similar to someone else’s that your doctor’s office or hospital can mix up your health information. This can be dangerous and even deadly. It is time for Congress to act—repeal the ban on a unique patient identifier.

Countless examples provide compelling reasons for why we need solutions to address patient misidentification—mammogram results being filed into the wrong patient’s record, only to be discovered when the patient was terminal; babies receiving incorrect milk; inappropriate medications being delivered; and opiates being prescribed to patients with a history of addiction. All of these episodes occur because we cannot fully identify the right patient at the point of care and link their prior care records. It’s time for Congress to act—repeal the ban on a unique patient identifier.

The inability to accurately match patients to their records across the care continuum is incompatible with nationwide interoperability, a goal of the landmark 21^st Century Cures Act.

The absence of a consistent approach to accurately identifying patients has led to patient safety errors and “near-misses.” We are committed to working together to address patient misidentification and putting patients first. #patientIDnow.

Take the Naming Policy Pledge

As health information professionals, we are committed to excellence in the management of health information for the benefit of patients and providers. Patient misidentification continues to jeopardize patient safety, limit and delay data sharing and interoperability, and has an adverse effect on data quality. Today, as a health information professional, I pledge to advocate and educate members and other key stakeholders on the importance of naming policies in our healthcare organizations. I will support, encourage, and educate my fellow health information professionals to implement the following data policies

Take the AHIMA Naming Policy Pledge

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Resources to Navigate the Patient ID Initiative

AHIMA Advocacy: Patient Identification

AHIMA recognizes that to maximize the safety, security, availability, and integrity of patient health records, certain processes must be in place to ensure proper identification and matching of patients to their unique health information in health IT systems. The ability to properly identify individuals is imperative to patient safety and advancing interoperability across the healthcare ecosystem. View AHIMA resources.

AHIMA White Paper:

A Realistic Approach to Achieving a 1% Duplicate Record Error Rate

Patient identification and matching (PIM) is vital to delivery of safe and efficient care, and misidentification errors have been a recurring challenge in healthcare, resulting in administrative inefficiencies, serious injuries, and even death. AHIMA recommends a cycle approach to achieve a 1 percent duplicate record error rate, in this new white paper.

Patient ID Now: Discover Resources, Impact on Patients, and More

Patient ID Now is a coalition of healthcare organizations representing a wide range of healthcare stakeholders committed to advancing through legislation and regulations a nationwide strategy to address patient identification.

The Impact of Patient Misidentification: AHIMA and CHIME members shared several real-life examples of issues that have resulted from patient misidentification.
Recorded Brief - Patient Matching: An Essential Tool in the Era of COVID-19: Listen to the newly formed Patient ID Now Coalition during a virtual hill briefing with health leaders in July 2020 when they dove into the implications of patient matching and identification during the pandemic.
View Additional Resources: Headlines and Press Releases, Legislative Efforts, Coalition Member Resources, Studies/Reports

CHIACON21 Registration Opens April 1

CHIACON21 is going virtual! With the success of the virtual CHIACON20 and to ensure the safety of our members and attendees, the CHIA Board has decided to hold CHIACON21 virtually on June 14 - 16, 2021.

We are excited about this unique opportunity to provide an innovative solution to bring a virtual first-class convention experience to CHIA's health information community.

Stay tuned for more information and join us at #CHIACON21!

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2-Day CDI Webinar: April 22-23

Clinical Indicator Guidelines & Coding Review: March 20 | April 10

There are enormous needs in the healthcare industry to become a CDI Specialist and assist physicians to accurately document patient encounters with severity ratings. The trend nowadays is quality documentation and this course will teach you how to achieve this.

RN Link is offering a 10% discount to CHIA Members. Learn more and register today!