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How Photo Biometrics Can Improve Healthcare Outcomes for Patients

June 28, 2016/6247 views / 0 Comments/in BLOG, Guest Blog Posts, Health Care, Patient Identification, Patient Safety /by John Trader

The following guest post on the rising use of photo biometrics for patient ID in healthcare was submitted by Amanda Gaid.

Photo biometrics are increasingly being used for passports and other identification needs. Medical facilities and practices are also beginning to see the merit in utilizing photo biometrics for patient identification. There are many ways that photo biometrics can be beneficial for providers, insurance companies, and especially patients. Using photo biometrics can help to improve healthcare outcomes for patients in a number of ways.

The rising use of photo biometrics for patient ID in healthcare is helping to increase patient safety, reduce medical errors, and improve revenue cycle management.

Helps Prevent Medical Identity Theft

Photo biometrics help to ensure that a patient receiving medication and treatment is in fact the patient identified on a medical card. Medical identity theft is widespread, with many people posing as patients in order to receive drugs. Photo biometrics link a patient’s photograph and iris biometrics to a set of medical records. Using this system ensures that patients will not be misidentified and makes it very difficult for thieves to bypass.

Improves Data Integrity

When medical information is breached by identity thieves, health records may show that patients received treatments and medications that were actually taken advantage of by thieves. This can be dangerous for patients that really need these treatments. Blood pressure and other clinical measurements may also be skewed by thieves posing as patients. Protecting this information can help to ensure greater data integrity.

May Help Patients That Can’t Help Themselves

Patients that are brought into a medical facility unconscious or that face advanced stages of cognitive decline may not be able to provide crucial medical information in times of emergency. Photo biometrics allow medical providers to identify a patient and access a wealth of information about allergies, current medications, and conditions that may be instrumental in providing treatment. This may help to protect patients from medication reactions, infections, and other issues while allowing providers to treat patients quickly.

Can Help Prevent Errors in Medical Billing

Medical billing errors can occur due to a number of different circumstances. In some cases, medical practices and hospitals that are switching over to electronic health records (EHRs) will inadvertently replicate an entire patient’s history, showing double treatments and visits. In other cases records may be filed incorrectly. Thieves may also add to inaccuracy of medical billing information. Linking all EHRs and billing information to photo biometrics can prevent billing errors and help to ensure accuracy of patient financial information.

Increases Patient Satisfaction Levels

Patient satisfaction can have an impact on patient outcomes. Patients are more likely to follow medical advice and attend regular medical visits when the experience is pleasant and the provider is trusted. Photo biometrics can make patients feel more secure and can expedite visits and treatment. Patients may also be able to access their own information more conveniently and securely, which can increase empowerment and patient engagement.

Amanda Gaid is a recent college graduate and avid writer. While her primary focus in college was Psychology, Gaid minored in English Literature and Public Health. She draws on her knowledge of these subjects to create online content that addresses human needs in a simple way. In her spare time, she enjoys traveling as well as beach breaks and playing with her dog.

New Podcast: Frost & Sullivan on Growth and Potential of Iris Biometrics

March 28, 2016/5913 views / 0 Comments/in BLOG, Iris Recognition, Podcasts /by John Trader

Listen to our latest healthcare podcast where we interview Ram Ravi from Frost & Sullivan to discuss iris biometrics.

Last year, global research and consulting organization Frost and Sullivan released a research report entitled: “The 5 Year Opportunity Analysis of the Global Iris Recognition Market.” According to Frost & Sullivan’s Web site, the report:

“analyses trends in the iris recognition market across the government and commercial sectors, globally.”

Frost & Sullivan reports that iris biometrics is predicted to steadily grow as a prominent technology for individual identification within a number of verticals including patient identification in healthcare. However, misunderstandings of this technology are still widespread along with questions about its potential applications. Frost & Sullivan covers:

Key market drivers
Potential applications for iris biometrics
Accuracy rates compared to other biometric modalities (palm vein and fingerprint)
Unique features (e.g. – non-contact, hygienic form factor)

We invited Ram Ravi, lead research analyst for Frost & Sullivan, to join us on our latest podcast to discuss this report and provide some insight into his research on iris recognition biometrics to help our community better understand this technology and its potential to thrive as a future biometric identification modality, especially for patient identification in healthcare. In light of the continued misunderstandings of iris biometrics, this podcast covers:

Overview of the report, the “5-year Opportunity Analysis of the Global Iris Recognition Market”
Why Frost & Sullivan sees growth of iris recognition in healthcare as a key mechanism for expansion of this biometric identification technology
The factors leading Frost and Sullivan to conclude that iris recognition is poised for strong growth as a dominant biometric identification management technology
When faced with a choice of biometric modalities to deploy for patient identification in healthcare, why Frost & Sullivan recommends iris recognition technology over other modalities such as fingerprint or palm vein
How Frost & Sullivan came to the conclusion that iris biometrics is the most accurate biometric modality
What Frost & Sullivan would say to someone who has a mistaken idea about iris recognition based on false information
Aside from healthcare, the additional potential for iris recognition in the commercial space
The impact of the rising emphasis on connected devices (IoT) on the biometric market or specifically the iris recognition market

Among the several conclusions that Frost & Sullivan reported, these are the highlights:

Iris biometrics is the most accurate biometric technology in the market when compared to fingerprint and palm vein biometrics for patient identification in healthcare
The non-contact, hygienic form-factor of iris biometrics renders it a safer technology to use for patient ID in healthcare that supports hospital infection control
Iris biometrics is the same thing as having your photo taken with a digital camera and is extremely non-invasive
Frost & Sullivan feels that iris biometrics has a much stronger potential for growth for patient identification in healthcare than fingerprint or palm vein due to the aforementioned points
Iris biometrics has strong potential for growth related to the Internet of Things (IoT)

We encourage you to download a full version of the podcast to hear more about iris biometrics.

A link to the podcast can be found on our healthcare biometrics podcast page. A link to the podcast summary slides can be found on our SlideShare page.

Thank you to Ram Ravi and the Frost & Sullivan team for the opportunity to discuss their research!

For a full list of all our podcasts, please visit our podcast page.

Novant Health Uses Iris Biometrics to Identify Unknown Patient

September 3, 2015/6508 views / 0 Comments/in BLOG, Comments On Recent Biometric News Stories, Health Care, Iris Recognition, Patient Identification /by John Trader

It’s a familiar case. An unconscious or unknown patient arrives in the ER without any identification leaving clinicians to administer care in the absence of any medical history to review. This presents a serious patient safety risk since treating an unknown patient without the benefit of securing their identity is dangerous and can be a huge liability. What if they are allergic to a certain medication? What if they have a pre-existing condition that must be considered prior to receiving any treatment?

Novant Health recently used the RightPatient iris biometrics patient identification system to identify an unknown, disoriented patient.

Since these cases are more often trauma related requiring immediate attention, clinicians must take a risk and administer care in the absence of any historical medical data. An obvious threat to patient safety and a situation that clearly raises liability, healthcare organizations have long sought to adopt technology that can instantly identify patients in these cases without the need for any demographic information.

The staff at Novant Health decided to proactively implement an iris biometric identification system throughout their network as a means to secure accurate patient ID and ensure that patients, no matter what the circumstances, are kept safe throughout the care continuum. Although adopting a biometric patient identification system to identify unconscious or unknown patients wasn’t the sole reason that Novant implemented this technology, they knew that by choosing to use iris recognition as their primary biometric modality they would be able to quickly and accurately identify any patient in these circumstances without having to ask for an additional identification credentials (e.g. – D.O.B.).

Novant’s iris biometric patient identification system was recently put to the test when a disoriented, unknown patient arrived in the ER without any identification credentials. Novant staff quickly realized that they could take the patient’s photo with a RightPatient iris camera and if they had been previously registered in their Epic EHR database, the biometric patient identification system would recognize them and immediately pull up their medical record. Fortunately, the patient had previously been enrolled with the RightPatient system and their identity was instantly recognized after their photo was taken with the iris camera. A big relief to Novant staff since they were now able to not only access her medical history prior to treatment, but they were also able to quickly contact the patient’s relatives to inform them of the situation.

Thank you to our partners at Novant Health for sharing this story and demonstrating the value of using biometrics for patient identification in the context of keeping patients as safe as possible throughout the care continuum!

How often do you experience situations where patients arrive at your facility without identification credentials? Did you know that not all biometric patient identification solutions have the ability to identify unknown or unconscious patients?

Iris Biometrics Deployments Increasing for Patient Identification in Healthcare

June 11, 2015/4071 views / 0 Comments/in BLOG /by John Trader

The following post was written by David Cuberos, Enterprise Sales Consultant with RightPatient®

This week, we announced another hospital that has adopted our biometric patient identification platform using iris biometrics. Like most hospitals who adopt biometrics for patient ID, Terrebonne Regional Medical Center in Houma, LA conducted a thorough evaluation of several different biometric modalities (including fingerprint and palm vein) and ultimately concluded that iris biometrics was the best fit to help accomplish the goals established before the deployment – reduction of duplicate and overlay medical records, elimination of healthcare fraud and medical identity theft, patient data integrity improvement, and raising patient safety standards. Plus, Terrebonne staff recognized that iris biometrics for identification is readily accepted by patients – a key metric to ensure deployment success.

Using-RightPatient-for-patient-identification-helps-increase-patient-safety

Terrebonne General Medical Center (TGMC) is the latest hospital to leverage the advantages of iris biometrics for patient identification.

As we continue our journey to help hospitals across the world establish safer and more secure methods of identifying patients to ensure their safety across the care continuum, increasingly we see more healthcare organizations opting to deploy iris biometrics over other modalities because of the distinct, unique advantages that this technology offers:

Hygiene – Iris biometrics used a sophisticated digital camera to take a photograph of a patient, requiring no contact with a hardware device by the patient to help support hospital infection control and eliminate the spread of germs, bacteria, and illness.
Biometric matching type – The only way to prevent duplicate medical records and healthcare fraud while at the same time improving patient data integrity is to deploy a biometric patient identification solution that compares a captured biometric enrollment template and compares it to all stored templates in a database during enrollment – otherwise known as a “one-to-many” comparison. It is proven to be the only way to increase patient data integrity across an HIE or IDN and iris biometrics has the unique ability to deliver this one-to-many biometric matching type. In addition, if healthcare organizations seek to leverage biometrics for patient identification to identify unconscious patients, the only way to accomplish this is through a one-to-many biometric matching system.
Search speed & accuracy – Iris biometrics for patient identification in healthcare offers the fastest and most accurate technology on the market. For example, iris biometrics has the capability to search a database containing millions of records and provide a match or non-match within seconds. Plus, iris recognition is widely viewed across the biometrics industry as one of, if not the most accurate biometric identification technology.
Stability – Did you know that the human iris fully develops at 10 months of age, and remains stable throughout your life? Wikipedia describes the iris as:

“…an internal organ that is well protected against damage and wear by a highly transparent and sensitive membrane (the cornea). This distinguishes it from fingerprints, which can be difficult to recognize after years of certain types of manual labor. The iris is mostly flat, and its geometric configuration is only controlled by two complementary muscles (the sphincter pupillae and dilator pupillae) that control the diameter of the pupil. This makes the iris shape far more predictable than, for instance, that of the face.” (via Wikipedia, http://bit.ly/1B8Zlls)

This stability eliminates the need to re-enroll patients as is the case with other biometric patient identification systems that rely on alternate credentials, such as palm vein.

Our experience across a wide variety of healthcare environments with varying conditions has proven that when offered the choice of modalities, more hospitals are turning to iris biometrics for patient identification because of the unique advantages it offers over the alternatives. We expect to see iris biometrics for patient ID continue to proliferate around the world as the single, trusted source to ensure the highest levels of patient safety and to help improve patient data integrity both at the local and national levels.

Watch a short video on the reasons that Terrebonne implemented iris biometrics for patient identification:

What are your thoughts on the use of iris recognition for patient identification in healthcare? Please share your thoughts and comments with us below.

David Cuberos is an Enterprise Sales Consultant with RightPatient® helping hospitals and healthcare organizations realize the benefits of implementing biometrics for patient identification to; increase patient safety, eliminate duplicate medical records and overlays, and prevent medical identity theft and healthcare fraud.

Terrebonne General Medical Center Reaps Benefits of Iris Biometrics for Patient Identification

March 16, 2015/4134 views / 0 Comments/in BLOG /by John Trader

More hospitals are reaping the benefits of using iris biometrics for patient identification to help:

— eliminate duplicate medical records

— reduce preventable medical errors

— prevent medical identity theft and fraud at the point of service

— raise patient safety levels

Terrebonne General Medical Center recently implemented the RightPatient® iris biometric patient identification system.

Terrebonne General Medical Center in Houma, LA. is no exception. After a seamless integration of our RightPatient® biometric patient identification solution into Terrebonne’s McKesson EHR system at their main hospital late last year, the hospital has quickly acclimated the technology as a key piece of their strategy to raise patient safety levels, and reduce preventable medical errors that could result from patient misidentification. Terrebonne’s patients have warmly embraced the biometric patient identification solution with over 99% opting into the RightPatient® system, citing its importance to protect their medical identity and prevent unnecessary medical errors along with it’s no-touch, hygienic nature as a key feature for using the technology. Read more

Over 99% of Patients Overwhelmingly Accepting of Iris Biometrics for Patient Identification

February 18, 2015/4988 views / 0 Comments/in BLOG /by John Trader

Iris recognition, long branded as “creepy” and “invasive” is finally getting a chance to set the record straight. Often depicted through wildly inaccurate Hollywood spy film sensationalism and embellished on the pages of science fiction novels, ask an average person to describe what this technology is and answers may range from “Isn’t that the technology that beams a laser to scan your eye?” or “Yes, iris recognition – that’s when someone scans your retina.” Answers to what iris recognition is perceived to be can oscillate from slightly inexact to outlandishly untrue. Thankfully, our experience deploying iris biometrics for patient identification in healthcare has provided us with key field research on not only how patients perceive the technology, but also their willingness to use it as a patient safety tool that eliminates duplicate medical records/overlays, and prevents medical identity theft and healthcare fraud at the point of service. Here’s what we found out:

Contrary to popular belief, patients overwhelmingly choose to enroll in iris recognition for patient identification.

One of the core tenets in our approach to developing biometric patient identification solutions for healthcare is offering the flexibility for hospitals to choose which biometric modality is most suitable or desired. Some hospitals may choose fingerprint biometrics with the confidence that their patient demographic has excellent skin integrity and would not object to this modality. Other hospitals may choose to deploy palm vein biometrics for patient identification or finger vein biometrics, both of which use near infrared light to map out a vein pattern beneath the skin’s surface. Still other facilities have evaluated the RightPatient® biometric options and decided that iris recognition is the most optimal biometric modality for patient identification. Iris recognition uses a high definition digital camera to capture your photograph and construct a unique biometric template, which is then linked to your electronic medical record. Iris recognition does not “scan” your eyes and we know that iris biometrics and retinal scanning are two completely separate biometric modalities; it is very simply a high resolution digital photograph and the technology is 100% safe for patients.

When we embarked on our journey to offer the healthcare industry a more secure and effective way to establish patient identification accuracy through the use of biometrics, our goal was to remain flexible in our biometric options and to educate our customers, understanding that hospital environments and patient populations ultimately dictate deployment parameters. Through the use of our human factor engineering expertise – which is based upon the body of knowledge about human abilities and characteristics that are relevant to design and the application of this knowledge to the design of systems for safe, comfortable employee use – we custom build our solution to help ensure a seamless experience that covers all touchpoints.

When presented with the options, we have found that many hospitals prefer to use iris recognition. The reasons vary, but essentially the non-contact, hygienic nature of the technology coupled with accuracy and matching speed make it an appealing choice. Some hospitals that use RightPatient® initially expressed concern that patients may be leery of iris recognition, which could affect participation rates. In practice, however, we have observed quite the opposite. Our customers have reported that at least 99% of patients opt-in to using iris recognition to protect their medical identities. 99%. Once patients see the technology for what it is – no different than having their picture taken with any other camera – and understand the value in enrolling, any preconceived notions are quickly neutralized.

This makes perfect sense considering the technology’s purpose is to keep patients safe from medical errors, the danger of duplicate medical records and the potential devastation that medical identity theft and fraud can cause.

You don’t even have to take our word for it. Check out this customer testimonial video on patient acceptance of our RightPatient® patient identification solution with iris biometrics: