Master Patient Index (MPI) Services

A Master Patient Index(MPI) should be a key component of any modern clinical information system.  It is essential in helping to create a single chart or record for each patient and avoiding the dangers and costs of having a patient’s record split into multiple parts.  The LIPIX MPI is not just a computer program that utilizes sophisticated matching algorithms, rather it is a technology solution that consists of the combination of a state-of-the art software system and a skillfully managed manual data remediation process which together safely determine when a patient’s record should be linked to other records that represent the same patient.  In the setting of patients who change their name due to marital circumstances, typos or misspellings by registration clerks, complex maternal – fetal admission and billing policies, clinical encounters where the patient was unconscious or had a diminished mental status, and more the LIPIX MPI can result in more accurate information for a clinician and improved patient care. 

In addition to bettering care, an MPI, by enabling clearer identification and improved linking of patients to their records, also enables an organization to improve compliance measures, reduce liability exposure, increase response time for chart requests, and improve billing accuracy. Yet, many organizations who profess strongly the importance of clean patient identification data do not currently have an MPI.

Benefits of a Master Patient Index (MPI)
For Patients:

• Reduces the need to provide redundant information during encounters
• Reduces duplicate testing

For Clinicians:

• Enables more complete patient-centric view of clinical information

For Participating Institutions:

• Provides the ability to easily identify duplicate patient records
• Reduces costs associated with redundant testing
• Reduces HIM costs related to multiple patient medical records
• Reduces liability associated with duplicate records

The benefit is obvious.  So what obstacles are preventing institutions from moving forward with the implementation of an MPI?  Certainly it is not the fact that “their data is already clean!” as studies suggest patient record systems contain anywhere from 5-20% duplicate or erroneously overlapping patient record numbers for a single patient. 

There are identified challenges, but LIPIX is helping to overcome those challenges!

Challenge: MPI technology, while certainly not new, has only recently become more valuable as a result of the growth of patient databases and large customer management needs not only in health care but other industry sectors, as well.

Solution: LIPIX's primary mission from the beginning was to build the MPI infrastructure to best serve health information exchange and organizations like yours. LIPIX is currently working with the best and fastest growing MPI vendors and consultants in the country to promote MPI technologies.

Challenge: The startup costs include both hard costs related to hardware, software, and IT services, as well as soft costs related to the planning of a MPI implementation project.

Solution: The start up costs associated with implementing an MPI can be quite large relative to the obviously foreseeable value they can bring. LIPIX addresses this and is able to significantly reduce the costs to your institution in 2 ways:

     - LIPIX uses economies of scale to distribute capital hardware and software, networking,    and management infrastructure costs across multiple users of the same infrastructure.

     - The integration costs for your institution are decreased by as much as 50% or more, if your institution is also participating in the health information exchange aspects of LIPIX. This is because the interfaces to the LIPX HIE and MPI are one in the same. Also, LIPIX's local experience and knowledge increases the likelihood that pre-existing interfaces to and from LIPIX that are similar to the ones your institution would require are already built and will only need modifications.

Challenge: The ongoing resource requirements to maintain an effective MPI are significant.

Solution: LIPIX has a permanent team that is capable and available to assist with the remediation of data. Linking of overlaps can be done centrally, while linking of duplicates and resolution of possible matches can be done either by LIPIX or more likely at your institution, by your personnel. LIPIX can not only provide expertise in data remediation, but with appropriate authorizations, it can use other organizations data in the HIE to resolve discrepancies for your organization.

Challenge: The benefits from the use of an MPI, while real, are difficult to quantify.

Solution: LIPIX is working with leading quality improvement and outcomes measurement groups to quantify intuitive benefits resulting from the use of a master patient index.

LIPIX has been founded to specifically address all of these obstacles. By leveraging an infrastructure built for the primary goal of enabling effective health information exchange and by focusing on the provisions of technical as well as manual remediation services, LIPIX can provide organizations high quality MPI services at a low cost.

These services generally fall into one of 3 categories:

- Assistance with de-duplication of existing patient registration databases.

- Seamless ASP-based passive MPI integration with your CIS and ongoing data management.

- Consulting in a management or advisory capacity on the implementation of an active MPI.

MPI Services: De-Duplication

LIPIX can provide historical, batch, or real-time reports of identified duplicates, overlaps, and overlays to your organizations registration or patient access department. These reports can be requested in either digital online or printed format, and can be customized to fit your specific needs and idiosyncrasies.

MPI Services: CIS Integration

LIPIX not only has created a secure, highly available, redundant technical infrastructure on which your organization can comfortably run its MPI, but LIPIX also has a staff of data stewards to handle the manual aspects of your data remediation needs. LIPIX MPI enables your organization to provide its clinicians a seamless, patient centric view of a patient's electronic information, even if that patient was seen at multiple facilities with independent registration processes. Interfaces from all relevant registration systems are built at a low cost by LIPIX. Then, interfaces into your downstream clinical information system are implemented. Remediation of non-definite duplicates or overlaps are manually resolved by either LIPIX, if you empower us to do so, or by a team consisting of your organization's data integrity personnel and LIPIX advisors.

MPI Services: Consulting

The holy grail of patient identification is a closed loop process in which any and all issues with multiple or incorrect registrations are automatically resolved AND automatically rerouted back to the registration at (or before) the point of registration. This enables registrars to correct any problems in real time before they happen and is referred to as an active MPI. While LIPIX does not provide an active MPI as part of its standard MPI software and services package, LIPIX can a) provide you with discounts on the leading active MPI software and provide you experienced consultants at a reasonable rate who can manage or advise you on your active MPI efforts.