Managing Duplicate Patient Records and Ensuring Accurate Patient Insights in Freed
Maintaining accurate and consistent patient records is essential for generating reliable Patient Insights in Freed. This guide provides an overview of how to handle duplicate records, the impact of naming conventions, and best practices for record maintenance. (Patient Insights is the Problem summary and visit plan shown in a patient's Context tab. It is separate from Patient Context, the editable summary Freed can include in your note — see Patient Context in Notes. Both are built from the visits linked to a patient record, so duplicates affect both.)
Overview of Patient Records Management
Freed relies on unique patient records to generate Patient Insights. Duplicate or inconsistent records can disrupt this process, leading to incomplete or inaccurate insights. To avoid these issues, it is crucial to:
Use consistent naming conventions.
Avoid creating duplicate records.
Consolidate existing duplicates when possible.
Merging duplicate records
Freed supports self-serve merging of duplicate patient profiles — any provider who can view both records can merge them in a few clicks, combining visits and notes under one profile. See Merging duplicate patient records for the full walkthrough. This action is permanent, so double-check you're merging the right records before confirming. Merging is rolling out gradually. If you don't see Merge duplicate record in the patient profile, it hasn't reached your account yet — use the manual steps below in the meantime.
If you can't merge yet: reassign visits manually
If Merge duplicate record isn't available in your account (for example, in the Chrome extension), you can consolidate by hand:
Rename Duplicate Records Temporarily: Add a label like “(use this one)” or “[DON’T USE]” to one of the duplicate records to distinguish it.
Reassign Notes to a Single Record: Open each note and use the patient selector to reassign them to the correct patient record.
Start Future Visits Under the Correct Record: Ensure all future visits are logged under the consolidated record to maintain accurate insights.
Note: Renaming does not merge records. Editing a patient's name changes that one record everywhere it appears — it does not link it to another record, and renaming a duplicate to match an existing patient just leaves you with two identically-named records. To consolidate, open each visit and pick the correct existing patient from the patient selector.
Impact of Naming Conventions on Patient Insights
Naming conventions play a critical role in maintaining accurate records. Consider the following:
Avoid Creating New Records for Existing Patients: A name typed differently from the existing record can create a separate record. Always select the existing patient from the dropdown to keep visits linked.
Be Cautious with Placeholder Names: Using the same placeholder name (e.g., "x") for multiple patients can cause Freed to link unrelated visits under the same record. Use unique, non-identifying labels instead.
Best Practices for Record Maintenance
To prevent issues with duplicate records and ensure accurate Patient Insights:
Always search for an existing patient record before creating a new one.
Use consistent and unique naming conventions.
Regularly review and consolidate duplicate records.
Train staff on proper record-keeping practices.
By following these guidelines, you can maintain accurate patient records and ensure reliable Patient Insights in Freed.
Get Support
If you need further help or have questions, you can get in touch with our Clinician Support team in the method that works best for you:
Start a chat by clicking the messenger icon in the bottom right corner.
Email your message to [email protected].
Join a live support call with our support team.
If you're interested in using Freed as a group, talk with our sales team.