Master Index Solutions
The ability to match, reconcile, trust and distribute person records is essential in today’s wide-ranging healthcare solutions. EMPIs, Registries, and Record Locator Services have emerged as critical components in the delivery of integrated health. And NextGate is a trusted expert in architecting, implementing, and managing these master index solutions.
Note: For purposes of simplicity, we use the word “patient” in the descriptions below, but any entity or object can be substituted, such as Provider, Payor, Partner, Customer, Account Holder etc.
Enterprise Master Patient Index (EMPI)
We know that accurately identifying the same patient across can an enterprise is an unwieldy challenge. Every hospital has multiple data systems, each with a different numbering scheme to identify a patient. This situation leads to duplicate records, missing information, uncertainty about accuracy, lack of control and, as a result, increased costs and risks.
Enterprise Master Patient Index solutions can significantly decrease these risks and increase productivity. An EMPI uses sophisticated matching algorithms to compare patient IDs from the various source systems, assign a unique Enterprise Identifier for the patient, and assemble a list of all local IDs for that patient. With this comprehensive and trusted register of a patient’s IDs, medical record numbers can be matched and merged, and 360° Single Patient Views are possible. This simplifies the process of sharing data, while allowing the organization to maintain current systems and processes.
Continuing in our innovative tradition and capitalizing on our 15 years of implementation experience, NextGate developed the MatchMetrix EMPI to simplify and enhance EMPI deployments. The MatchMetrix EMPI is a lightweight, feature-rich EMPI software solution. It addresses the implementation and ease-of-use issues that are complicated by other solutions on the market today. The NextGate MatchMetrix EMPI, in conjunction with our proven Implementation Methodology, delivers a rapidly installed, affordable, open and effective EMPI solution.
EMPI Benefits
- Reduce costs associated with duplicate or inconsistent data
- Orchestrate patient information across EMRs, IHEs, IDNs, RHIOs
- Enable more informed clinical decision making
- Improve patient care and safety
- Increase Provider and Patient satisfaction
- Leverage existing integration architecture
- Improve regulatory compliance and patient privacy
- Increase productivity through automation and accuracy
EMPI Capabilities
- Correlate and translate medical record numbers between systems
- Create a 360° Single Patient View
- Fast and wide-ranging Searches
- Merge records at enterprise or facility level
- Granular security features by facility and function
- Co-exist with current systems
- Accelerated data load process
EMPI Technical Features
- Configurable probabilistic matching algorithm
- LDAP and Active Directory compatible
- Comprehensive audit trail to see who viewed what data when
- Sub-second search response time
- HL7 messaging
- PIX/PDQ support
Record Locator Service
A Record Locator Service (RLS) is a key infrastructure component to support interoperability in a decentralized healthcare environment. The RLS provides pointers to the location of patient information across the extended network, enabling users to access and integrate healthcare data from distributed sources without relying on National Patient Identifiers or centralized databases.
With user-defined relationships, organizations can use the RLS to correlate records of any type. For example, Patient-Physician relationships can be established by correlating Patient EMPI records with Provider EMPI records.
The combination of EMPI access, interface message tracking, and a flexible presentation layer supplies the necessary technical elements to develop a Record Locator Service. NextGate engineers have designed and implemented RLS processes to help achieve the vision of improved patient safety and quality of care.
