Medical Record Patient Name Change Frequently Asked Questions
The policy of Akron Children's is to maintain the first-registered patient name in the medical record until we receive legal documentation that allows a name change.
Due to the timing of some patient registrations, we may have a name on file that has never been the legal name of you or your child. To ensure we have one patient per medical record, we require legal documentation to prove a name change in our system or correct any name discrepancies in the patient’s record.
If the patient's name in the medical record or MyChart does not match their current legal name, you may provide any of these documents to request a name change: birth certificate, court order, divorce decree, driver's license, finalized decree of adoption, marriage certificate, Medicaid insurance card, passport or social security card.
You can request a name change and upload the required documents using your MyChart account or by emailing DataIntegritySpecialists@akronchildrens.org.
For more information, contact Health Information Management at DataIntegritySpecialists@akronchildrens.org or call 330-543-4244 between 7-4 p.m.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Why does my child have a name that I never gave him/her?
- Newborns must be registered immediately upon hospital admittance. If the child’s parent or guardian is not available during the registration process, we may register a newborn with the mother’s last name, even if that does not match their intended name. We require legal documentation of the child’s given name to ensure our data is accurate and complete.
- My name changed several years ago; why does Akron Children’s still have my former name?
- We have admission records dating back to 1912. If you received care from an Akron Children’s physician at any time in your life, we likely still have a record of it, including any or all of your prior names.
- I’m an employee, and I’ve already provided Human Resources with documentation of my name change. Why do I have to resubmit?
- Federal regulations prohibit Human Resources from sharing certain documents with Health Information Management (HIM/Medical Records). If your name has changed since your start date, you must provide documentation to HIM in order to have your name changed in Epic.
- Why is my commercial insurance card not sufficient proof?
- Commercial insurance companies have varying rules for name changes. We’re unable to verify each insurance company’s rules on a case-by-case basis, so we opted to decline commercial insurance cards as legal proof of a patient’s name change.
- My child is in the process of being adopted. Why can’t you change his/her name before the final adoption decree is produced?
- A child’s legal name typically does not change until an adoption is finalized. For this reason, we do not formally change patient names until the finalization occurs and legal documentation can be presented. We are able to add preferred names to patient records. If you would like to add a preferred name to your child’s chart, you may contact Health Information Management at DataIntegritySpecialists@akronchildrens.org or 330-543-4244, or ask the registration staff to add a preferred name at your child’s next visit.
