Duplicate Record Prevention
When you create a new record inside the main ClinicOffice application, the system attempts to check whether you might be entering a duplicate record.
(From time to time, we recommend using the Data Cleansing function. This uses AI-generated weighting algorithms to scan all patient records and assigns each one a likelihood score indicating how likely it is to be a duplicate.) More information on this system can be found here:- https://pioneersoftware.co.uk/kb-pam/duplicate-patient-records
The above system is far more thorough, whereas this check is more of an initial preventative measure designed to warn about/prevent obvious duplicates. Here’s how it works.
When you go to save a new patient record…
- The system makes a list of all patients with same last name. (Non case sensitive)
- The system then compares the first name. (Non case sensitive, including initials. For example, J Smith & John Smith would be a potential match at this point.
- The DOB is then scanned. Both or one can be blank, but if they both have a DOB they must match.
If the above criteria are met, a message will display warning you of a potential duplicate patient record.
FAQ’S:
Q: I’m not seeing any message, even when I know I am creating a duplicate.
A: This is likely because the warning message has been disabled on your account. Each time the message is displayed, you have the option to prevent any further messages by checking a box. If this has been checked on your account, you will no longer see the message. To check and re-enable, go to the VIEW tab, then Program Settings -> User Settings. From there, make sure the ‘Check duplicate patients’ option is checked.
Q: I made a change to a record, and I know it now matches another record in the system but I still don’t get a warning.
A: If you’re editing an existing record, the system won’t check for duplicates. Only newly created records are checked the first time you press save.