Final answer:
In the serial numbering system, patients receive a new number for each facility registration, and previous records are reassigned to the new number.
Step-by-step explanation:
The numbering system in which patients receive a new number each time they are registered by the facility, and records from a previous admission or encounter are reassigned the new number is known as serial numbering. In this system, a patient's records may have multiple different numbers from different visits, making it a bit more challenging to compile a complete medical history for a single patient. Unlike unit numbering, serial numbering does not maintain a single, consistent number for a patient across all interactions with the healthcare facility.