How should duplicates be resolved when a patient has multiple MRNs across sites?

• A. Use robust patient matching, link duplicates, and merge charts under data stewardship to establish a canonical record.
• B. Create a new canonical record without linking MRNs.
• C. Delete the duplicate MRNs and keep a single MRN.
• D. Ignore duplicates and treat as separate patients.

Answer: (A)

When resolving duplicates across sites, the goal is to establish one canonical patient record by accurately matching and merging duplicates so all data follows the patient. Robust patient matching uses demographic data, encounter history, and other identifiers to determine that different MRNs belong to the same person. Once identified, linking those MRNs and merging the charts under data stewardship creates a single canonical record with a global identifier, ensuring every piece of information—demographics, encounters, medications, allergies, labs, and more—contributes to one longitudinal view. This unified record enables safe, coordinated care across locations and preserves data provenance through audit trails and governance. Creating a new canonical record without linking MRNs fragments data; deleting duplicates or ignoring duplicates breaks history and safety by losing context or duplicating records.