Since the new National Health Index (NHI) system was rolled out in May, about 35 healthcare organisations, who’ve worked closely with the Ministry of Health during its pilot trial, said they experienced significant improvements in the quality of patient care delivery.

The NHI is a unique identifier that is assigned to every person who uses health and disability support services in New Zealand. It is stored on the NHI system along with the person’s demographic details.

The new NHI system replaces a 20 years old version that had become increasingly difficult to update and maintain. Through the new system, individuals’ details are checked 80,000 times a day to ensure they are up-to-date and accurate.

Since its launch the Ministry of Health has seen a reduction in the number of duplicate NHI numbers created and improvements in data quality, availability and response times.

“Having accurate information about patients is critical to ensure the right health information is matched to the right person,” said Health Minister Tony Ryall.

“This can make a real difference to patient care. For example, if a 45-year-old woman is admitted to hospital with an infection, clinical staff can quickly and accurately identify her from anyone else with the same name and immediately view a medical warning that she is allergic to penicillin.”

Each day the NHI database processes around 380,000 transactions by authorised health professionals and support staff. These include identifying a patient correctly so they can receive hospital treatment or updating addresses to send reminders to women who are due for a mammogram.