CHICAGO – The National Alliance for Health Information Technology is pushing for a voluntary, patient-controlled system of unique identifiers, calling it the “only way to ensure safety and accuracy when exchanging medical information” through an electronic national network.

“One of the biggest obstacles to progress in developing an interoperable national health information network remains reaching agreement on how to correctly match medical information to patients while guarding their privacy,” said Scott Wallace, the alliance’s president and CEO.

“It is time to come to consensus on this issue so we can move forward on a system that will help transform healthcare in America.”

Founded in 2002, the alliance is a partnership of senior executives from all healthcare sectors working to advance the adoption of clinical IT systems to achieve measurable improvements in patient safety, quality of care and operating performance.