4 statistics that prove there’s a patient identification crisis
Patient misidentification poses significant risks to patients and organizations. Discover alarming statistics and learn how biometric patient identification can effectively combat this crisis.
The growing challenge of patient identity issues
In the complex landscape of healthcare, patient misidentification has emerged as a critical issue, leading to significant risks to patient safety and financial losses. Here are four alarming statistics that underscore the urgency of this crisis.
High rates of misidentification
Matching patients to their medical records can be as low as 80% accurate within a single care setting and drops to 50% accuracy among organizations that share electronic health information. These percentages highlight the urgent need for more reliable and consistent patient identification solutions across different healthcare settings.
Financial impact of patient identity issues
On average, healthcare organizations report spending $1.3M annually on patient identity resolution. Furthermore, a not-so-fun bonus statistic tell us that hospitals face an average of $17.4 million per year in denied insurance claims due to inaccurate patient identification. Together, these costs represent a substantial financial burden that could be mitigated with better identification processes.
Medical errors due to misidentification
Patient misidentification can lead to medical errors due to prescriptions, test results, and more being linked to duplicate or wrong records. Alarmingly, research has found that patient identification errors account for approximately 70% of adverse patient outcomes.
Duplication of medical records
Duplication rates in medical records are alarmingly high, with some healthcare organizations experiencing rates as high as 30%. This not only complicates patient care but also increases the workload and costs associated with maintaining accurate medical records.
How to solve the patient identity crisis
Fortunately, patient identification errors can be eradicated where they originate – at the registration desk. Implementing a biometric patient identification solution that can accurately identify patients and match them with their correct records in the enterprise master patient index (EMPI) and electronic health record (EHR) reduces the risk of misidentification and the creation of duplicate medical records. Biometric identification technology offers one of the most promising ways to combat the patient identification crisis. A biometric solution can quickly retrieve accurate patient records and help ensure patients are matched to the right data and history.
Preventing patient identification errors with Imprivata
Imprivata Patient Access addresses the critical issue of patient misidentification by using face-matching technology to link a photo of the patient's face to their health record. This solution not only improves the precision of patient identification but also bolsters safety by helping to reduce medical errors linked to identification mistakes. Furthermore, this facial recognition solution helps prevent medical fraud, streamlines the registration process for a better patient experience, and improves operational efficiency. By minimizing duplicate records and errors, it also aids in reducing denied insurance claims, thus improving the financial wellbeing of healthcare organizations.
To learn more about Imprivata Patient Access, visit https://www.imprivata.com/platform/access-management/patient-access