U.S. lawmakers have reintroduced bipartisan legislation aimed at improving patient safety and privacy through better identity matching in healthcare systems. Representatives Mike Kelly (R-PA) and Bill Foster (D-IL), along with Representative Seth Moulton (D-MA), have reintroduced the Patient Matching and Transparency in Certified Health IT (MATCH IT) Act of 2025, which seeks to establish standardized methods for connecting patients with their correct medical records.
The legislation addresses a critical issue in healthcare delivery, where patient misidentification leads to significant safety risks and unnecessary costs. Research shows that duplicate records and mismatched patient information can add approximately $1,950 to each inpatient stay and over $1,700 to emergency department visits.
The MATCH IT Act proposes several key reforms, including creating an industry-standard definition for “patient match rate” and improving the standardization of demographic data entry in certified health IT products. These changes aim to enhance the accuracy of patient identification across different healthcare providers and systems.
This legislative push comes as healthcare providers are already exploring innovative solutions to address patient identification challenges. For instance, some emergency medical services have begun implementing biometric identification systems to ensure accurate patient matching during critical care situations.
“The MATCH IT Act would decrease rates of patient misidentification, improve patient privacy and care, and bring down costs within the healthcare ecosystem associated with mismatched patient records,” said Maria Caban Alizondo, PhD, RHIT, FAHIMA, President and Board Chair of AHIMA.
The bill has garnered widespread support from healthcare organizations, including the Patient ID Now coalition, Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS), and Intermountain Health. Ryan Smith, Chief Digital and Information Officer at Intermountain Health, emphasized that accurate patient data matching is “foundational to patient safety and privacy.”
CHIME President and CEO Russ Branzell highlighted the timing of this legislation, noting that “as the industry embraces innovative technologies, ensuring accurate patient identification has never been more urgent.” The MATCH IT Act aims to provide a framework that will enhance interoperability while reducing errors in patient identification.
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March 14, 2025 – by the ID Tech Editorial Team
