Case Study: The Children's Hospital achieves nearly 10% reduction in duplicate records and improved patient identity management with Just Associates

Rethinking Patient Identity Management

The Children’s Hospital in Aurora, Colorado, a 314‑bed pediatric care and Level 1 trauma center, struggled with pervasive patient identity issues after implementing a fully integrated EHR in 2007. With Epic, Initiate and roughly 70 backend systems, a backlog of duplicate records and overlays overwhelmed staff; Melinda Patten, director of health information management, engaged Just Associates for EMPI consulting to address the problem beyond simply adding headcount.

Just Associates trained a newly created EMPI analyst role, teaching EMPI techniques, validity models, system algorithms, HL7 messaging and CORHIO requirements, and provided presentation and training materials. Working with the analyst, Just Associates helped redesign the Duplicate Medical Record Number Report and roll out targeted supervisor and registrar training plus naming‑convention aides — measures that produced the first reduction in duplicates in eight quarters, cutting duplicate records by nearly 10% and enabling quicker identification and correction of registration errors.

The Children’s Hospital

Melinda Patten

Director of Health Information Management