If a patient is admitted to the hospital 4 times in one year, how many times will they be entered in the Master Patient Index?

The correct answer is that the patient will be entered in the Master Patient Index only once. The Master Patient Index (MPI) is designed to maintain a unique record for each patient throughout their interactions with a healthcare system, regardless of how many times they are admitted or receive services.

When a patient is admitted to the hospital, their demographic information is captured and recorded in the MPI to mitigate the risk of duplicates and ensure a comprehensive view of the patient’s medical history. Therefore, if the same patient is admitted multiple times within a year, they remain associated with their original MPI entry rather than creating multiple entries for each admission. This practice supports accurate tracking of patient data, continuity of care, and efficient billing and coding processes.

This single-entry approach in the MPI helps in streamlining healthcare operations and reducing errors such as duplicate records, which can lead to confusion in the patient’s treatment history and billing.