AHIMA Unveils Naming Policy Framework 2023: Enhancing Person Matching with Essential Demographic Data Elements

Everything you need to know about person matching in health information technology.

Key highlights:

• Standardizing Naming Policies: addresses the lack of standardization in naming policies across the healthcare ecosystem. This standardization is crucial for efficient and accurate identification and matching of person(s) to their health records, as well as for large data set migrations.
• Recognizing Evolving Ecosystem: The framework acknowledges the changing landscape of health information management, where essential person(s) demographic data goes beyond traditional master/enterprise patient indexes. With entities collecting and sharing Electronic Health Information, additional data elements become necessary for effective identification, matching, and management of health records.
• Guiding Best Practices: AHIMA calls for the adoption and use of this demographic data element framework, representing current operational best practices. It is designed to evolve over time with technological advancements and operational procedures, ensuring it remains relevant and effective in the ever-changing healthcare environment.