Voluntary Universal Healthcare Identifiers for Patient and Device Identification Barry R. Hieb, MD Chief Scientist, Global Patient Identifiers Inc. OHT Board Meeting December 10, 2008 \presentations\OHT2009\OHTboard

What is the Need? Heterogeneous clinical automation environment No consistency in patient/device identification 8% error rate in EMPI demographic matching Increased cost, time, errors, and complications Increased identity theft risk Not possible to properly address privacy needs Inhibition of clinical information sharing Unable to assemble comprehensive record Enable NHIN & advanced information analysis

The VUHID System Voluntary system Operates with cooperating EMPIs and HIEs System in development –Software in testing –Web site design in process –Beta sites in 2009 IDs will be issued (at no cost) to any person who requests one from a participating physician Based on two ASTM/ANSI standards John Q Public Open Identifier

4 VUHID Identifier Syntax Prefix Identifier syntax Open identifier Delimiter Check digits Privacy class Private identifier Note: Private identifiers are anonymous Compact display

5 Six Critical HIE functions Hospital 1 Hospital 3 Hospital 2 EMPI and RLS Clinic MD office MD office MD office Long- term care 1.User authentication 2.Patient registration 3.Demographic matching 4.Identifier mapping 5.Record locator service 6.Information sharing policies HIE = Health Information Exchange

6 VUHID System Architecture VUHID

7 National Healthcare ID: Previous “Show Stoppers” Cost Technical issues Federal legislation required Federal/national consensus and approval required Privacy risks System conversion costs Big-bang implementation needed

VUHID Benefits International standard Globally unique identifiers, ready internationalization Uniform identifier syntax with easy readability ‘Unlimited’ capacity Cost effective Flexibility – IDs for patients & devices Evolving acceptance by privacy community Immediate availability Counterfeit resistance