Patient (or person) master index (PMI) data quality activities in public, acute healthcare facilities in the state of Victoria, Australia were evaluated in terms of health information management-information technology best practice including data standards and practice guidelines. The findings indicate that, whilst data quality and linkage activities are undertaken, many are limited in scope or effectiveness. In view of published evidence that: (i) duplicate patient files pose significant risks by reducing information available for clinical decision-making; and (ii) quality and clinical risk management require, as a measurable outcome, continuous monitoring of duplicate files, improvements to PMI data quality practices are recommended.
AbdelhakM. (Ed) (2001). Health information: Management of a strategic resource. (Second edition). Philadelphia, W.B. Saunders Company.
2.
AchesonE. (1971). Medical record linkage: A point of view based on experience with the Oxford record linkage study. Paper presented at the Newfoundland and Labrador Centre for Health Information: Medical Record Linkages seminar. Available at: <http://www.nlchi.nf.ca/archive.asp> (Accessed 29 April 2006).
3.
AHIMA – see American Health Information Management Association.
4.
AIHW – see Australian Institute of Health and Welfare.
5.
American Health Information Management Association - MPI Task Force (2004). Practice brief: Building an enterprise master person index. Journal of the American Health Information Management Association75(1): 56 A-D.
6.
American Health Information Management Association -e-HIM Taskforce (2003) Practice brief: Complete medical record in a hybrid EHR environment. Part 1: Managing the transition. Journal of the American Health Information Management Association, October. Available at: <http://library.ahima.org/xpedio/groups/public/documents/ahima/bok1_021581.hcsp?>.
7.
American Health Information Management Association - MPI Taskforce (1997a). Practice brief: Maintenance of master patient (person) index (MPI) - single site or enterprise. Journal of the American Health Information Management Association. 68(9): Insert following p. 64.
8.
American Health Information Management Association - MPI Taskforce (1997b). Practice brief: Master patient (person) index (MPI) - recommended core data elements. Journal of the American Health Information Management Association. 68(7): Insert following p. 44.
9.
American Health Information Management Association - MPI Taskforce (1997c). Practice brief: Merging master patient (person) indexes (MPI). Journal of the American Health Information Management Association. 68(8): Insert following p. 44.
10.
ArellanoM.WeberG. (1998). Issues in identification and linkage of patient records across an integrated delivery system. Journal of Healthcare Information Management12(3): 43–52.
11.
Australian Council on Healthcare Standards (2002). The EQuIP guide: A framework to improve quality and safety of health care (Third edition). Ultimo, ACHS Publication Service.
12.
Australian Government Department of Health and Ageing (DoHA) (2004). About Health Connect. Canberra, DoHA. Available at: <http://www.healthconnect.gov.au/> (Accessed 29 April 2006).
BowmanE. (2002). Secondary data sources. In Health information management technology: An applied approach. JohnsM. (Ed.). Chicago, AHIMA.
15.
BriggsL. (2000). A national approach to electronic health records. Paper presented at the National Health Online Summit, Adelaide, SA, August 2000. Health Information Management Journal30(1). Available at: <http://www.himaa.org.au/> (Accessed 29 April 2006). [Subscriber access]
16.
BuckC. (1971). Postscript: The need for record linkage. Paper presented at the Newfoundland and Labrador Centre for Health Information: Medical record linkages seminar. Available at: <http://www.nlchi.nf.ca/archive.asp> (Accessed 28 April 2004).
17.
Callahan-DennisJ. (2001). Health law concepts and practices. In: Health information: Management of a strategic resource. (Second edition). AbdelhakM. (Ed). Philadelphia, W. B. Saunders Company.
18.
CarineF.ParrentN. (1999). Improving patient master identification data on the patient master index. Health Information Management Journal. 29(1): 14–17.
19.
DambergC.KerrE.McGlynnE. (1998). Description of data sources and related issues. In Health information systems: Design issues and analytical applications, McGlynnE. (Eds). Santa Monica, CA, RAND Health.
20.
DrakeT.van GemertL. (2003). Standardising client identification across Adelaide public hospitals - an update. Health Information Management Journal. 31(3). Available at: <http://www.himaa.org.au/> (Accessed 2 March 2004). [Subscriber access]
21.
GillL.E. (1997). OX-LINK - The Oxford medical record linkage system. Proceedings of Record linkage techniques 1997. An international workshop and exposition. AlveyW.JamesonB. (Eds). For Federal Committee on Statistical Methodology, Office of Management and Budget, Arlington, VA. March 20–21. Available at: <http://www.fcsm.gov/working-papers/gill.pdf> (Accessed 1 August 2004).
22.
GoldmanJ.TossellB. (2004). Linking patient records: Protecting privacy, promoting care. iHealthBeat: Californian Healthcare Foundation. Available at: <http://ihealthbeat.org/index.cfm?action=lookupID&id=26485> (Accessed 28 April 2004).
23.
GudeaS. (2005). Deterministic, probabilistic, or fuzzy? A primer on the search algorithms that drive MPI quality. Journal of the American Health Information Management Association76(8): 50–54.
24.
Health Information Management Association of Australia (HIMAA) - Education Committee. (2001). Health information management (HIM) competency standards. North Ryde, HIMAA Ltd.
25.
HewittJ.O'ConnorM. (2002). Connecting care through EMPI's. Journal of the American Health Information Management Association73(10): 33–38.
26.
Hewlett-Packard Development Company. (2004) Melbourne Health gives its patient management system room to grow with scalable HP SAN. HP newsroom: Casestudies. Blackburn, Hewlett-Packard. Available at: <http://h50141.www5.hp.com/newsroom/article.asp?atype=cs&id=108> (Accessed 29 April 2004).
27.
HIMAA – see Health Information Management Association of Australia.
28.
HolmanD.BassA.RouseI.HobbsA. (1999). Population-based linkage of health records in Western Australia: Development of a health services research linked database. Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health23(5): 453–459.
29.
HuffmanE. (1994). Health information management. (Tenth edition). Berwyn, Physicians' Record Company.
30.
KerrE.McGlynnE.DambergC. (1998). Developing and using a clinical information system. In: Health information systems: Design issues and analytic applications. McGlynnE. (Eds). Santa Monica, RAND Health.
31.
KuehnL.GrzybowskiD. M. (2001). Data access and retention. In: Health information: Management of a strategic resource. (Second edition). AbdelhakM. (Ed.). Philadelphia, PA: W.B Saunders Company.
32.
LensonC. (1998). Building a successful enterprise master patient index: A case study. Topics in Health Information Management19(1): 66–71.
33.
LewisM.MitchellJ. (1998). Electronic patient records - a resource manual. North Ryde, HIMAA Ltd.
McAlpinI. (2003). Overview of the New South Wales Health unique patient identifier project. Health Information Management Journal31(3). Available at: <http://www.himaa.org.au/> (Accessed 2 March 2004). [Subscriber access]
36.
MurphyG. F. (2001). Electronic health records: A unifying principle. In Health information: Management of a strategic resource. (Second edition). AbdelhakM. (Ed.). Philadelphia, PA, W.B Saunders Company.
37.
New Zealand Health Information Service (2003). Data and services: Guide to NZHIS National collections: National health index (NHI). Wellington, NZ: New Zealand Health Information Service. Available at: <http://www.nzhis.govt.nz/collections/collections-nhi.html> (Accessed 26 March 2004).
38.
OlsonB.GallagherK.FletcherD. (2001). Integrated delivery systems. In: Ethical challenges in the management of health information. HarmanL. (Ed.). Gaithersburg, ML, Aspen Publications.
39.
PerryC. (1996). The use of performance measures as a tool for managing quality in health information services. Unpublished Bachelor of Health Information Management (Honours) thesis, School of Public Health (formerly Health Systems Sciences), Faculty of Health Sciences, La Trobe University, Bundoora, Victoria.
40.
RifkinD. (2001). Electronic medical records: Saving trees, saving lives. Journal of the American Medical Association285(13): 13.
41.
RoosL.WalldR.WajdaA.BondR.HartfordK. (1996). Record linkage strategies, outpatient procedures, and administrative data. Medical Care Journal24(6): 570–582.
42.
South Australian Department of Human Services (DHS). (2000). Medical record documentation and data capture standards. Adelaide, South Australian DHS.
43.
South Australian Department of Human Services (DHS). (2002). Client identification data standards: Data elements (Vol. 1). Adelaide, South Australian DHS.
44.
South Australian Department of Human Services (DHS). (2003). Client identification data standards: Identification and registration procedures (Vol. 2). Adelaide, South Australian DHS.
45.
Standards Australia. (2002). Australian Standard 5017–2002: Health care client identification. Sydney, Standards Australia International Ltd.
46.
TaylorP. (2003). The statewide client registration project initiated by the Tasmanian Department of Health & Human Services. Health Information Management Journal31(3). Available at: <http://www.himaa.org.au/> (Accessed 2 March 2004). [Subscriber access]
47.
TeslowM. S.WildeD. J. (2001). Data collection standards. In Health information: Management of a strategic resource. (Second edition). AbdelhakM. (Ed.). Philadelphia, W.B Saunders Company.
48.
TothA. (1999). Record linkage - a rural health information manager's perspective. Health Information Management Journal. 29(1): 53–55.
49.
TreacyJ. (2003). Changes to the ACHS evaluation and quality improvement program (EQuIP) standards for information management. Health Information Management Journal. 31(3). Available at: <http://www.himaa.org.au/> (Accessed 8 April 2004). [Subscriber access]
50.
Victorian Department of Human Services (DHS) (2003). Whole of health: Information and communication technology strategic plan (HealthSMART). Melbourne, Vic, Victorian DHS. Available at: <http://www.health.vic.gov.au/healthsmart> (Accessed 19 April 2004).
51.
Victorian Department of Human Services (DHS) (2004). Public hospital accreditation in Victoria. Melbourne, Victorian DHS. Available at: <http://www.health.vic.gov.au/accreditation/> (Accessed 22 May 2004).
52.
WagerK. (2002). Introduction to healthcare information systems. In: JohnsM. (Ed.). Health information management technology: An applied approach. Chicago, American Health Information Management Association.
53.
WagnerG. (1981). Medical record linkage: The method and its importance for clinical and preventive medicine. Heidelberg, World Health Organization.
54.
WalkerA. (1999). South Australia: Best practice guidelines for patient master index maintenance. Health Information Management Journal. 29(1): 43–44.
55.
WheatleyV. (2001). Master your master person index: The significance of the MPI. Proceedings of the 2001 Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society Conference: Workshop S, 2–7. New Orleans, LA, Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society, 4–8 February. Available at: <http://www.himss.org/ASP.contentRedirector.asp?ContentID=964>.
56.
WildeD. J.TeslowM. S. (2001). Data quality and technology. In Health information: Management of a strategic resource. (Second edition). AbdelhakM. (Ed.). Philadelphia, W.B. Saunders Company.
57.
WilsonL.GoldschmidtP. (1995). Quality management in health care. Rosehill, McGraw-Hill.
