Question

Annie Smith is brought into the emergency room following a motor vehicle accident and assigned patient number 123456. She is discharged home, and three days later she returns for further evaluation. She is reassigned patient number 123456. What type of numbering is being used?

Answer 1

The hospital is using a serial-unit numbering system, as evident by Annie Smith retaining the same patient number for multiple visits.

Step-by-step explanation:

Annie Smith received the same patient number 123456 during both her initial visit to the emergency room following a motor vehicle accident and her subsequent return for further evaluation. This indicates that the hospital is using a serial-unit numbering system, where a patient retains the same number for all visits and medical records. In such a system, the patient's medical records from various encounters or admissions are filed under this single, constant number. This facilitates the retrieval of past records and helps in maintaining a comprehensive medical history for each patient. This type of numbering helps keep track of patients, their medical records, and their treatment history in a systematic and organized manner.