Advancing Patient Identification: Policy Solutions to Improve Matching, Safety, and Interoperability

Accurate patient identification is foundational to patient safety, data integrity, and effective interoperability across the healthcare ecosystem. Yet persistent patient matching challenges continue to contribute to medical errors, fragmented records, administrative burden, and inequitable care outcomes. This session will focus on efforts to modernize patient identification policy, with particular attention to the work of the Patient ID Now Coalition and the MATCH IT Act. 

The MATCH IT Act would improve definitions and standards within existing programs to improve patient matching and reduce overlaid and duplicate records. Panelists will examine why patient identification remains a critical unresolved issue in U.S. healthcare, how policy constraints have limited progress, and what opportunities exist to responsibly leverage technology, standards, and best practices to improve matching accuracy while protecting patient privacy. 

Discussion will highlight the real-world impacts of poor patient matching on clinicians, health systems, public health, and patients, as well as the role of collaboration across government, industry, and advocacy organizations. Attendees will leave with a clearer understanding of current patient identification policy, the goals of the MATCH IT Act, and how advancing patient matching can unlock safer, more connected, and more equitable care.