What is the process for removing duplicate patient records within Epic's system?

• A. MPI Deduplication / Patient Merge
• B. Duplicate Record Elimination
• C. Patient Unification
• D. Master Index Cleanup

Answer: (A)

In Epic, duplicates are handled by the Master Patient Index (MPI) through a deduplication process that identifies potential duplicate records and then merges them into a single, canonical patient record. The MPI is the centralized identity registry for all patients, and deduplication uses matching rules across demographics and history to flag duplicates. When a merge is performed, the chosen “survivor” record retains the consolidated clinical data and is linked to all encounters from the duplicates, ensuring one consistent patient identity across the system. This combination—MPI deduplication followed by a patient merge—is the standard Epic workflow for removing duplicate patient records. Other terms like generic “duplicate record elimination” or “master index cleanup” may describe the goal, but they aren’t the specific Epic process name used for this function.