CHIME Applauds Bipartisan Introduction of the MATCH IT Act to Enhance Patient Matching and Healthcare Outcomes

Ann Arbor, MI, February 16, 2024  –– The College of Healthcare Information Management Executives (CHIME) applauds the introduction of H.R. 7379, the Patient Matching and Transparency in Certified Health IT (MATCH IT) Act of 2024 by Representative Mike Kelly (R-PA) and Representative Bill Foster (D-IL) in the U.S. House of Representatives today. You can find the bill text  here .

The MATCH IT Act was developed to address the persistent issue of patient misidentification within the healthcare ecosystem, emphasizing improvements in patient safety and privacy. The bill introduces an industry standard definition for the term “patient match rate,” laying the groundwork for measuring patient match rates across the healthcare system. The bill strives to elevate the standardization of patients' demographic elements entered into certified health IT products, ensuring precise matches with the correct medical record.

Patient misidentification within the U.S. health care system has long been a threat to patient safety, patient privacy, and a driver of unnecessary costs to patients and providers. The inability of clinicians to ensure patients are accurately matched with their medical record has caused medical errors, and even patient deaths. Patients often undergo unnecessary repeated medical tests because of the inability to ensure accurate matches to their medical record. The expense of repeated medical care due to duplicate records costs an average of $1,950 per patient inpatient stay, and more than $1,700 per emergency department visit. Thirty-five percent of all denied claims result from inaccurate patient identification, costing the average hospital $2.5 million and the U.S. health care system more than $6.7 billion annually.

Cassie Ballard, Director of Congressional Affairs at CHIME, expressed her gratitude on behalf of CHIME's global members for introducing the MATCH IT Act, acknowledging its significance to the organization mission to advancing health and care: “On behalf of our members, which include chief information officers and other digital health leaders from hospitals and healthcare providers across the globe, we appreciate the leadership by Representatives Mike Kelly and Bill Foster in introducing the MATCH IT Act. This bill will make a meaningful impact on patient misidentification through the standardization of patient information and builds off important work by CHIME and the other organizations in the Patient ID Now coalition to improve patient matching.”

As leaders of other coalition member organizations reflect on this recent legislation, their perspectives reflect the shared commitment to advancing patient matching and identification processes for improved healthcare outcomes. Lauren Riplinger, Chief Public Policy and Impact Officer for the association AHIMA, commended Representatives Mike Kelly and Bill Foster for prioritizing patient safety and continuing to champion the issue of patient matching. She stated, "The MATCH IT Act would help decrease rates of misidentification, which would increase patient privacy and improve patient care through a standardization of patient information, allowing records to be matched more accurately. AHIMA looks forward to the passage of this needed legislation."

Russ Branzell, President and CEO of CHIME, emphasized the importance of this collaborative effort, stating, "Being part of this unified initiative to improve patient matching is a testament to our commitment to advancing healthcare outcomes. The MATCH IT Act aligns with our shared mission and represents a significant step towards a safer, more efficient healthcare system for all."

About CHIME

The College of Healthcare Information Management Executives (CHIME) is an executive organization dedicated to serving chief information officers (CIOs), chief medical information officers (CMIOs), chief nursing information officers (CNIOs), chief innovation officers (CIOs), chief digital officers (CDOs) and other senior healthcare IT leaders. With more than 5,000 members in 56 countries plus two U.S. territories and over 150 healthcare IT business partners and professional services firms, CHIME and its three associations provide a highly interactive, trusted environment enabling senior professional and industry leaders to collaborate, exchange best practices, address professional development needs and advocate the effective use of information management to improve the health and care in the communities they serve. For more information, please visit  chimecentral.org .