Verify Identity

From OpenEMR Project Wiki

At registration it is very important to verify the identity of the patient. As practice size increases it is not unusual to have 2, 3, 4 patients with the same name. We have three patients with the same name two of whom are almost the same age, have similar medical problems and live in within a couple of miles of each other in the same postal code area.

At check we need to use less sensitive patient information to identify the patient. Typically we ask for the patients name and date of birth.

The laboratory operates as a separate legal entity and is required to perform a two ID method prior to performing a phlebotomy (stick the patient with a needle). In the laboratory, the area is more private and we can ask more confidential information. We use the name and the last 4 digits of the social security number (federal patient identification number). So by the time of the needle stick we have actually verified identity with name, date of birth, and federal identification number.