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HARRIS HEALTH SYSTEM

Biometrics, algorithms help boost

hospitals’ patient-matching rates

By Jessica Kim Cohen

HEN A PATIENT WALKS INTO A HOSPITAL for an appointment, there’s

usually an unspoken expectation: They’ll share their name, date of birth
and maybe a few other demographic details with a registrar. Th at helps
W staff pull the correct medical record, so the patient will be able to see their
physician, now armed with their complete medical history and health data.

It seems like a simple process, but the back end is den, N.J., hospital in November, after medical staff gave

much more complicated, filled with a mix of technolog- a kidney designated for one patient to another trans-

ical elements like data standards and algorithms, not to plant recipient with the same first name, last name and
mention room for human error. name suffi x.
A few seemingly small, but consequential, problems The mix-up took place when a transplant coordina-

could emerge if a name or date of birth is entered with a tor at the hospital, Virtua Our Lady of Lourdes Hospi-
typo, if a patient has recently moved to a new address, if tal, spotted the patient’s name on a transplant list, not
there are inconsistencies in the way addresses are writ- realizing there were two patients with the same name.
ten, or if patients with similar information are confused She didn’t review the patient’s date of birth or Social
with one another. Security number, which would have revealed the mix-
Similar demographics resulted in confusion at a Cam- up, according to Dr. Reginald Blaber, executive vice

16 Modern Healthcare | June 8, 2020