H.R. 2002 — MATCH IT Act of 2025

This section states congressional findings on patient misidentification in the U.S. health care system, including the lack of a national strategy or standard "patient match rate" definition (with rates as low as 80% within facilities); risks to patient safety, privacy, and interoperability under the 21st Century Cures Act and HITECH Act; causes of medical errors and unnecessary tests; and costs such as $1,950 per inpatient stay, $1,700 per emergency department visit, $2.5 million per hospital, and $6.7 billion annually systemwide from 35% of denied claims.

This section adds a new section 3023 to subtitle C of title XXX of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 300jj–51 et seq.) to improve patient matching in electronic health records. (Patient matching identifies and links correct patient records across health information systems to reduce errors such as duplicate or overlaid records.) Specifically, new subsection (a) directs the HHS Secretary, within 180 days of enactment and in consultation with stakeholders, to develop a uniform definition and standards for patient match rate—accounting for duplicate records, overlaid records, multiple matches, and mismatches—and to review and update them at least every three years. New subsection (b) directs the ONC National Coordinator, within 180 days of enactment, to identify and adopt into the United States Core Data for Interoperability (USCDI) a minimum data set supporting 99.9% patient matching rates by health care providers, certified health IT developers, and health information exchanges; within one year thereafter, to create, update, or adopt data standards for those elements into USCDI; and to consult specified stakeholders including federal agencies. (A rule of construction clarifies that no entity is required to achieve a 99.9% patient match rate.) This section further (1) amends sec. 3004(b) of the Public Health Service Act to require incorporation of the minimum data set into health IT certification criteria within 180 days of finalization and into Medicare Promoting Interoperability Program requirements within 24 months thereafter; and (2) directs the CMS Administrator, within 24 months after that Medicare incorporation, to establish via rulemaking a voluntary bonus measure in the Medicare Promoting Interoperability Program for eligible providers attesting to an accurate patient match rate of at least 90% (or a rate determined under specified criteria), without negatively impacting their total incentive score or eligibility if they do not attest.