Project Background
Accurate patient matching and data aggregation supports patient safety and can support research aimed at improving health and well-being. The Patient Matching, Aggregation, and Linking (PMAL) project intended to study and advance methods of accurately linking and aggregating patient records from various sources to increase the volume and quality of data available to support patient-centered outcomes research (PCOR).
Project Dates
This project began in 2015 and ended in 2018.
Project Goal
The goal of this project was to identify and test standards applicable to linking patient data across multiple types of data sets (e.g., research, clinical, claims). This project also established a foundation for further testing and development of patient matching algorithms.
The project included pilot projects and other activities, such as prize challenges, to address four target areas:
- Improvements to matching algorithms
- Improvements to data quality
- Expanded data sharing
- Data standardization
Learn More
Final Report
To learn more about the PMAL project, read the Final Report.
Matching Algorithms
Learn more about improvements to matching algorithms:
Data Quality
Learn more about improvements to data quality activities and products in the Patient Demographic Data Quality Framework White Paper.
Data Sharing
Learn more about expanded data sharing:
- Move Health Data Forward Challenge
- Proving the Potential: A Health Data and Standards Code-a-Thon
- Use of Blockchain in Health IT and Health-Related Research Challenge
- Blockchain in Healthcare Code-A-Thon
- HEART Working Group Specifications
- Health Level Seven International® (HL7®) Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resources® (FHIR®)-based Patient Data Toolkit
- Record Merge Tool
Data Standardization
Learn more about data standardization:
Please contact onc.request@hhs.gov with questions about this project.