What process is used to identify and eliminate duplicate medical records?

The correct answer is MPI cleanup, which refers specifically to the process of maintaining and managing the Master Patient Index (MPI). The MPI is a critical database used by healthcare providers to store key patient demographics and medical records. As patient information is collected from various sources and encounters, there can be instances of duplicate records which can arise from variations in patient names, misspellings, or data entry errors.

MPI cleanup involves systematically identifying these duplicates and taking appropriate measures to merge or eliminate them, ensuring that each patient has a single, accurate record. This process is essential for maintaining the integrity of patient data, improving the efficiency of health information management, and enhancing patient care by ensuring that healthcare providers have access to complete and accurate medical histories.

When comparing this to the other options, record audits typically focus on evaluating the accuracy and compliance of clinical records rather than specifically addressing duplicates. Data reconciliation is a broader term that involves ensuring consistency and accuracy between different datasets, but it doesn't specifically target the issue of duplicate patient records. Service verification generally relates to confirming that services provided to patients match what is recorded in the billing and clinical systems. Therefore, MPI cleanup is the most relevant and specialized process for managing duplicate medical records.