NLIS 38
March 21, 2002
(Health and Community Services)

 

BACKGROUNDER

Unique Personal Identifier (UPI) and Client Registry

  • The Newfoundland and Labrador Centre for Health Information was established in 1996 to plan, design, and build a provincial health information network which will link all hospitals, pharmacists, physicians, long-term care facilities and health and community services offices throughout the province.
  • The Unique Personal Identifier (UPI) is the foundation of the Health Information Network and will in the future facilitate the linking of health information held in information systems owned and managed by the Department of Health and Community Services, the regional health boards, and service providers across the province.
  • The UPI is a number given to an individual once in a lifetime, either at birth or upon moving to the province. Every person accessing the health system will have a unique personal identifier, regardless of his or her eligibility for MCP. The database of UPI numbers creates the Client Registry, which contains demographic information accessible only by authorized users.
  • The UPI/Client Registry will provide accurate client information, improve client care, and will remove the need for repetitious collection of demographic data. Additionally, timely and accurate newborn information would allow metabolic screening to ensure all newborns are tested.
  • To date, $3.5 million has been invested and the UPI/Client Registry phase of the Health Information Network is complete. The NLCHI UPI/Client Registry project is considered to be a lead project in Canada for common client registries.

Media contact: Carmel Turpin, Communications (709) 729-1377.

2002 03 21                                3:10 p.m.


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