Identity crisis. The push to share data electronically--both inside and outside of the hospital walls--is forcing patient identification to the forefront.

The market for patient authentication solutions is growing, and EMPI solutions are becoming more sophisticated. Duplication of patient records can result in significant costs and compromise patient safety. Some EMPI tools offer reports and dashboards that can be leveraged to identify where errors are occurring. Interfaces must be set up so that EMPI and other IT systems are able to speak to each other. A clean MPI can serve as a key building block for an EMR system and can position an organization for data exchange with other facilities.