Flagging Similar Patient Names

Flagging patient new patient entries that have a similar or identical name to another patient, especially if other data is similar such as DOB, would be very helpful in ensuring that no errors occur. I have found that there are occasions where an old patient will be entered as a new patient which then causes issues later on because the ones accessing the information will fail to realize which one has the up-to-date information, and a loss of information can occur.

Another thing, when looking up patients, occasionally, the accessor will look them up by name. It would be helpful if there was a system that flagged similar looking names, same last name/first name, to make sure that they are visually distinct. Maybe add something like a warning box that asks them to make sure that the person that they are accessing is the correct one. This is ESPECIALLY important when medical records are being retrieved to be given to the patient.