An umbrella term used to describe the processes involved in correctly identifying a patient and linking that patient’s electronic medical records within and across systems.
Several efforts have been made to improve patient matching. One launched in 2021 called Project US@, led by the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC), is aiming to streamline collection of patient mailing addresses as a means to improve patient matching. The first technical specifications for this and a companion guide for health care professionals, were released in January 2022. A second version with enhancements accounting for patients who live in very rural areas, and members of the military, is expected to be released in 2023.