File for a facility’s patients that contains demographic information such as gender, date of birth, Social Security number, medical record number, address, race and ethnicity, admission and discharge dates, encounter types, and disposition (i.e., intended care setting following discharge). Optional additional elements might be emergency contacts, allergies, and problem lists. This file lists a unique identification number for each patient and is a cross-reference used to obtain a patient’s health record. Also referred to as member index .