Healthcare data is currently stored in numerous different formats and locations, making it extremely challenging for the highest-quality care to be provided to patients. As health IT evolves, is it possible that the time has come for a separate identification system to be implemented specifically for health records?
Even though most health IT professionals are in agreement as to the benefits of electronic medical records software, electronic prescribing software and other IT solutions, opinions begin to diverge when it comes to the use of unique patient numbers that would be assigned to anyone who receives care from a healthcare provider.
Much of the concern involving privacy and security of electronic health information is rooted in the fact that these files are identified by personal information, such as addresses, birth dates and even Social Security numbers, so if files are compromised, patients could lose more than just their health information. Universal patient identifiers (UPIs) could help mitigate some of the damage that currently accompanies a data breach.
"It would guard against misidentification and make it much easier to pull together a patient's records from disparate providers," University of Massachusetts Medical School chancellor Michael Collins wrote for The Wall Street Journal. "Using today's best technologies and practices, UPIs could help dramatically improve the quality of health care, lower costs, accelerate medical discovery and better preserve privacy."
Detractors of UPI initiatives state that patients could be harmed by the use of UPIs because such a system would coalesce all information into one location, which could make it easier for third parties to view and potentially exploit patient data without receiving consent. While even most opponents of UPIs admit the quality of healthcare would be improved, they are not willing to sacrifice privacy for that benefit.
The debate regarding UPIs will continue throughout the next decade as electronic medical records become more widely used, so healthcare providers should monitor any related developments while continuing to carefully track electronic patient data.
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