MATCH IT Act of 2025
MATCH IT Act of 2025
Plain Language Summary
# MATCH IT Act of 2025 Summary **What the bill would do:** The MATCH IT Act would require the federal government to establish clear standards and definitions for "patient matching"—the process of correctly linking patients with their medical records when information is shared between healthcare providers. Currently, there's no uniform system for this, which can lead to mix-ups and errors. The bill would have the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) create these standards, develop technology requirements to improve matching accuracy, and set up financial incentives through Medicare to encourage healthcare providers to adopt better matching practices. **Who it affects:** This primarily affects healthcare providers, hospitals, and health IT companies that share patient information.
Patients would benefit indirectly through more accurate medical records and safer care coordination. Medicare patients could be particularly impacted since the bill specifically includes Medicare incentives. **Current status:** The bill (HR 2002) was introduced in the 119th Congress by Representative Mike Kelly (R-PA) and is currently in committee, meaning it hasn't yet been debated or voted on by the full House. This is an early stage in the legislative process, and the bill would need committee approval before advancing further.
CRS Official Summary
Patient Matching And Transparency in Certified Health IT Act of 2025 or the MATCH IT Act of 2025This bill requires the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to establish a definition and standards for patient matching (i.e., the process of accurately matching patients with their medical records, including when records are exchanged between health care providers). It also requires the development of (1) a minimum data set for technology standards to increase patient matching, and (2) incentives for patient matching under Medicare.Specifically, the bill requires HHS to develop a uniform definition and standards for patient matching to track patient match rates and document improvement over time. The definition and standards must account for certain situations, including duplicate records and multiple matches.The bill also requires the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) to adopt a minimum data set to help health care providers or health information systems achieve a patient match rate of 99.9%. The minimum data set and related standards must be incorporated into the U.S. Core Data for Interoperability and the Medicare Promoting Interoperability Program for health information technology. Additionally, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) must establish a voluntary bonus measure within the Medicare Promoting Interoperability Program to allow health care providers who have a patient match rate over a certain percentage to receive a payment adjustment. The ONC and CMS must develop a voluntary reporting program for providers to anonymously submit patient matching data to HHS.
Latest Action
Referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, and in addition to the Committee on Ways and Means, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.