Wiki Asking for ID

[tpontillo]

Does anyone know if we can make it mandatory that when a patient comes in for an office visit that we have some form of picture ID? We just came across a problem where we saw a patient in the hospital and then the pt followed up in the office. The front desk did not get a picture ID from this patient because they said that he did not have one. I have just recd a call from the insurance company stating that they are doing an investigation because the patient claimed that his wallet was stolen and he was not the one that was in the hospital. I would like to make it mandatory that we get picture ID on all new patients. Does anyone know if we cannot do this.

 

[jackson7591]

Office procedure

We require ALL new patients to provide photo ID which is scanned into our EMR. If the patient is covered under a different person's insurance, we require the insured individual to be present or contacted prior to the office visit, usually by phone.

Any individual old enough to have a drivers license who arrives for an office visit without identification, but does have insurance infomation, raises immediate RED FLAGS!! And then the office manager is immediately involved.

Mandatory check of photo ID is great and probably best. If an individual's identity can not be confirmed we either reschedule or require private pay, cash. If a patient does not have cash we give them the opportunity to return with appropriate identification.

When scheduling new patients, our office staff is required to advise that photo ID must be brought to their initial visit.

Yes you can do this and it is encouraged. I would even suggest that if you dont have an EMR, that a copy of photo ID be included in patients' files so that any person who has the nesessity to view the patients' information can easily confirm a patient's idenitification.

 

[armen]

We ask a picture ID and we scan it to our EMR (just a picture).