MATCH IT Act of 2026

This legislation seeks to enhance patient safety and reduce healthcare costs by addressing widespread patient misidentification within the U.S. healthcare system. It mandates the establishment of a uniform definition and standards for accurate patient matching , which will track match rates and document improvements over time, considering issues like duplicate and overlaid records. This initiative aims to rectify current deficiencies where no national strategy or standard definition exists, leading to significant errors and financial burdens. To further improve interoperability, the bill directs the National Coordinator to identify and adopt a minimum data set for patient matching , aiming for a 99.9% match rate, and incorporate it into the United States Core Data for Interoperability. This minimum data set will then be integrated into health IT certification requirements and, subsequently, into Medicare interoperability program requirements. These steps are designed to ensure that certified health technology supports robust patient identification across the system. Additionally, the bill introduces a voluntary bonus measure within the Medicare Promoting Interoperability Program, allowing eligible providers to receive payment adjustments for achieving specified accurate patient match rates. A voluntary reporting program will also be developed for providers to anonymously submit patient matching accuracy data, which will inform annual reviews and potential adjustments to the bonus measure's target rates. These incentives aim to encourage widespread adoption of improved patient matching practices without penalizing non-participation.