Has the Time Come for a Unique Patient Identifier for the U.S.?

NEJM February 21, 2018
Harpreet S. Sood, MD, MPH, David W. Bates, MD, MSc, John D. Halamka, MD, MS & Aziz Sheikh, MD, MSc

Two decades ago, the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) required the adoption of a unique health identifier for every individual, employer, health plan, and health care provider. This mandate was subsequently overruled by Congress because of patient privacy concerns. Since then, the U.S. has made the largest capital investment in catalyzing the adoption of electronic health records (EHRs) in history.

It’s time to revisit Congress’s fears about unique patient identifiers and institute a system that will enable more complete and accurate patient records.”

Yet that $30+ billion capital investment has not delivered on its promise of higher-quality, more cost-efficient care. Why? One important reason is the lack of a unique patient identifier system and the fact that without...

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