Merging duplicate patients
Combine two records that turn out to be the same person, preserving both records' data.
Overview
Duplicates happen. A patient's name was entered slightly differently, or the patient was registered twice, for example once by staff at the front desk and once when the patient registered themselves online or at the kiosk. Merging moves everything onto one record. The history of both is kept on the record you keep.
Prerequisites
- Owner or Admin role
- Both patient records identified. Note their patient numbers.
Steps
Confirm they are really the same person. Open both records. Compare the date of birth, full name, phone and address. Same date of birth, a similar name and the same phone almost always means a duplicate.
Open one of the records. Under the patient number at the top of the record, click Merge with another record. If the record shows the banner "This may be the same person as another patient", you can click Merge... on the banner instead.
Select the other record. In Merge duplicate records, search for the other record by name or patient number and select it.
Choose which record to keep. Both records show side by side with their details and record counts. The record marked Keep survives. To keep the other one, click Keep this one instead. Keep the record with the most complete history.
Read "What happens". Everything on the other record moves to the kept record. Blank details on the kept record are filled in from the other record. The kept record's existing details are not changed. Allergies, medical history, medications and notes from both records are kept.
Confirm and merge. Tick the box to confirm that you checked the name, date of birth and phone. Click Merge into followed by the kept patient number.
Check the kept record. The moved appointments, invoices and other records now show on the kept record. The other record is archived and shows a link to the kept record.
Expected outcome
- The kept record now holds both records' appointments, consultations, charts, treatments, prescriptions, invoices, payments, documents and support requests
- The other record is archived and points to the kept record
- The audit log records the merge, with both patient numbers and what moved
- The patient's portal access moves to the kept record. There is nothing to register again. The patient signs in to the portal with the details on the kept record: last name, date of birth and phone number. The sign-in link goes to the email on the kept record.
- If both records had portal access, the other record's access is removed and any portal session on it ends. The patient signs in again.
Troubleshooting
| Symptom | Likely cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Merge with another record is missing | Your role is not Owner or Admin, or the record is already archived | Ask an Owner or Admin. Open the kept record, not the archived one |
| Patient portal sign-in fails after the merge | The last name, date of birth or phone on the kept record does not match what the patient enters | Check and correct those details on the kept record. See Editing a patient |
| Patient does not get the sign-in email | The kept record has no email, or an old one | Add the patient's current email to the kept record |
| Wrong record was kept, or the merge was a mistake | A merge cannot be undone in the app | Contact MyDentalPractice support. The audit log lists what moved, so it can be reversed by hand |