A universal patient identifier system would give one number to each individual, seamlessly connecting him or her to his or her medical records. The article covers two sides to the issue.

Proponents say universal patient identifiers, or UPIs, deserve a serious look because they are the most efficient way to connect patients to their medical data.

Cell phone numbers could be a good addition to a unique patient identifier to accurately connet people with their health records.

As announced, Experian Health’s Universal Identity Manager will be leveraged to accurately identify patients and match records within and across disparate healthcare organizations (pharmacy, lab, ...

NCPDP and Experian Health announced today that every person in the U.S. population, of an estimated 328 million Americans, have been assigned a unique Universal Patient Identifier, powered by ...

T he idea of unique patient identifiers (UPIs) could very well be reality in the not-so-distant future. Despite the current standstill at the federal level, other efforts to implement UPIs are very ...

"While a universal patient identifier is not the silver bullet to solving the patient matching crisis in the U.S., it will help to move the needle forward toward building a safer, more ...

A think tank that studies the intersection of data and public policy is asking Congress to adopt unique patient identifiers and improve data collection for the LGBT community.

Unique identifiers have been billed as a way to reduce clinical mix-ups and improve patient safety and data sharing, while fortifying a patchwork medical privacy system.

Misidentifying patients presents a potentially catastrophic situation for any healthcare organization, opening the door to medical errors, identity theft and payment fraud.

In 1996, Congress passed the Health information Portability and Accountability Act, which called for HHS to develop a universal patient identifier.