Question

Why is it important to search for a patient in the MPI before adding the person as a new patient? Explain the consequences of having a patient
entered more than once.

Answer 1

It is important to search for a patient in the Master Patient Index (MPI) before adding into the new patient list because if more than one patient record is present for the same patient, duplicate records will be present. However, the duplicate patient may also occur if two patients have the same names, so care must be taken to include further details to differentiate the patients.

The duplicate patient records lead to data entry errors, and thus, make errors in delivering the health care. Incomplete patient records and wrong patient information can occur due to the duplicate medical records, which leads to poor and delayed patient care, medical malpractice claims, reimbursement issues, and many others.