The American Health Information Management Association is imploring patients to endorse the creation of a national voluntary patient safety identifier, according to Health Leaders Media.
Here are four thoughts:
1. AHIMA's petition seeks to remove a ban stopping the Department of Health and Human Services from engaging in efforts to create a patient safety identification system.
2. A Houston-based Harris County Hospital study found among 3.5 million patients, the hospital cited approximately 70,000 cases where two or more patients had the same last name, first name and date of birth.
3. AHIMA and other proponents of the patient safety identifier said the identifier would enable health systems to recognize patients both quickly and accurately.
4. The petition is AHIMA's first appeal directed toward patients and consumers.
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