Standardizing patient addresses and improving patient matching will support safety, interoperability, privacy and security, decreased costs, and more, according to a June 16 news release.
The push to standardize address comes after studies, such as the 2019 study conducted by researchers at Bloomington-based Indiana University, uncovered how using the United States Postal Service’s address format can improve patient matching by up to 3 percent.
The ONC is consulting a range of stakeholders to ensure there is a broad agreement on the new standard. The American Health Information Management Association and the ONC are also developing a guide for the new rule containing information to manage patient addresses accurately and timely.
