Posts

University Health Reaps Benefits of Photo Biometrics for Patient ID

August 17, 2016/6709 views / 0 Comments/in BLOG, Facial Reciognition, Health Care, Infection Control, Iris Recognition, Patient Identification, Patient Matching, Photo Biometrics /by John Trader

University-Health-Care-is-using-RightPatient-for-patient-ID

Augusta, GA based University Health Care implemented photo biometrics for patient ID to increase patient safety.

The following post was submitted by Brad Marshall, Enterprise Development Consultant with RightPatient®

Biometric Patient ID No Longer a Movie Prop

It wasn’t so long ago that the term “biometric patient ID” wasn’t even in the lexicon of healthcare providers as a reliable means to improve patient safety, eliminate duplicate medical records, prevent medical ID theft, and increase patient data integrity. In fact, just a few years ago, many providers had never even heard of biometrics used to accurately identify patients and those that did know about the technology could only relate to what they had seen on the movie screen or read in a science fantasy novel.

Today, the use of biometrics for patient ID in healthcare has sharply risen as more healthcare organizations realize the technology’s potential to better protect individuals from the perils of misidentification and better understand the ability of select biometric patient ID solutions to be seamlessly integrated into EHR workflow.

However, what stands as a true testament to the rising use of biometrics for patient identification in healthcare is the ability of the technology to demonstrate realized return on investment (ROI) against the goals set forth prior to implementation. In other words, the true “proof in the pudding” of biometrics for patient ID can be benchmarked through multiple objectives — how significant was the reduction in duplicate medical records and chart corrections? What percentage of patients are opting into the biometric patient ID system? Has investment in biometrics for patient ID streamlined patient registration? Is the technology effective in reducing cases of fraud and medical ID theft?

University Health Deploys Photo Biometrics for Patient ID

In most cases, biometric patient identification deployments must mature to a certain level in order to measure the impact on improving patient safety and the additional aforementioned goals and objectives. In other words, beyond restricting medical ID theft and healthcare fraud at the point of service, it’s impractical to expect immediate results after deploying biometrics for patient ID. The system must be in place for a certain period of time before healthcare providers can expect to reap additional benefits — categories such as patient acceptance and enrollment and reduction of duplicate medical records for example.

Augusta, GA based University Health Care System is a classic example of a healthcare organization that had clear goals and objectives in mind prior to implementing biometrics for patient ID and are now realizing benefits from their choice of photo biometrics over other hardware alternatives. University Health officials have been pleased of the simplicity of photo biometrics where patients take their photo and are instantly identified followed by the retrival of their correct medical record in the Epic EHR system. With over 99% of patients choosing to enroll in the biometric patient ID solution, University quickly amassed a database of 50,000 patients to participate and the numbers keep increasing each day.

Perhaps equally important is the fact that since implementing RightPatient®, University Health has seen nearly a 30% decrease in chart corrections, defined as the health information management (HIM) department’s need to go back into a chart and correct any data entry errors during the patient registration process. RightPatient® has also been instrumental to eliminate write–offs directly related to patient fraud — in one case a patient attempted to commit healthcare fraud by using multiple aliases in the ED to illegally obtain prescription drugs. Photo biometrics quickly caught the patient by revealing they had previously enrolled under a separate identity and University Health officials were able to quickly notify on-site authorities who sprang into action.

Conclusion

University Health made a conscious choice to implement photo biometrics for patient ID after carefully evaluating the characteristics and limitations of fingerprint and palm vein. They concluded that photo biometrics was the most accurate, hygienic, and versatile solution available with strong potential for future deployment at additional patient touchpoints including mobile devices, patient portals, and telehealth — touchpoints along the care continuum that fingerprint and palm vein just do not have the ability to address.

Learn more about University Health’s use of photo biometrics for patient ID and stay tuned for more posts on what benefits our end users realize after investing in photo biometrics for patient ID.

Brad Marshall is an Enterprise Development Consultant with RightPatient®. With several years of experience implementing both large and small scale biometric patient identification projects in healthcare, Brad works closely with key hospital executives and front line staff to ensure project success.

Increasing Patient Safety at Pediatric Cancer Centers

July 26, 2016/5020 views / 0 Comments/in BLOG, Health Care, Iris Recognition, Patient Identification, Photo Biometrics /by John Trader

A patient access rep uses photo biometrics on a pediatric patient for accurate identification.

Today, RightPatient® proudly announced a brand new initiative aimed at increasing patient safety by donating our photo biometrics patient identification solution to pediatric cancer centers across the country. Patient identification errors are a realistic problem across the entire healthcare industry but perhaps no more magnified in presenting a danger to patients than administering cancer treatments — an extremely dangerous scenario where outcomes could prove to be lethal.

Recognizing an opportunity to give back to the pediatric healthcare community and proactively prevent patient identification errors that have the potential to jeopardize child safety, our cloud-based biometric patient ID platform using photo biometrics follows a simple, intuitive, and hygienic photo capture process. With the ability to be used on patients as young as 12 months of age, RightPatient® provides pediatric cancer centers the opportunity to reduce the risk of medical errors linked to incorrect patient identification prior to administering radiation or chemotherapy treatment.

Details of the initiative can be found here: RightPatient® Donates Patient Identification Software to Pediatric Cancer Centers.

We understand the risks associated with patient misidentification in healthcare. It’s important to call attention to the dangers of not accurately identifying patients in all contexts, particularly those that present a clear and present lethal danger such as administering cancer treatments. Our mission is to offer the most comprehensive patient identification solution that increases patient safety, reduces costs, improves the quality of care, and enhances the patient experience.

FingerSCAN DecedentID Found Cleaner & Faster in Identifying the Deceased

July 20, 2016/5054 views / 0 Comments/in BLOG, Guest Blog Posts, Patient Identification /by John Trader

The following guest post on the use of biometrics for identifying the deceased was submitted by Pranjal Mehta Sr. Digital Marketing Engineer with Big Market Research.

The FingerSCAN Decedent, recently introduced by WoVo Identity Solutions, promises a faster way to determine unknown decedents at a scene. Medical examiners and coroners have found the solution to be much cleaner compared to those available in the market, say experts at Big Market Research. Subject matter experts analyzing the industry size & share and growth opportunities of the healthcare biometrics industry reveal that by using a highly integrated biometrics fingerprint scanner from Watson, the FingerSCAN DecedentID can not only expedite but also simplify the complete identification process of a deceased individual. The equipment can identify the deceased within few hours rather than several days highlight the makers of FingerSCAN DecedentID. The is its ability to send alerts to the family members of the deceased faster makes the device highly capable.

Biometric identification can help to identify deceased individuals.

Commenting on the latest innovation in the healthcare biometrics industry, Kathleen Erikson, the chief executive officer at the WoVo Identity Solutions, emphasized that she knew it from the very beginning that coroners as well as medical examiners were in need of highly affordable, mobile product that can enhance the entire identification process. She added “I had no idea that the benefits would extend beyond this so I’m very pleased and have plans for launching many more mobile apps to benefit various industry groups.”

The new device works wonder on commercial – of -the -shelf (COTS). Besides this, the FingerSCAN DecedentID also operates with Android and works efficiently with the mini fingerprint scanner from Watson. WoVo introduced the product for the first time at the Colorado Coroners Association Conference in June, 2016, following a pilot project where the device was tested. The device has definitely brought relief to many families who end up contacting the officials after a death is reported in a media. Moreover, the solution has proved advantageous for both, government officials and public.

Echoing his sentiments about the product Harris Neil, coroners at Denver Office of Medical Examiner said, “As the application has been moved to its current version, it’s actually possible for me to email a print card to the fingerprint technicians electronically from the scene and get an identity confirmation the same day.” FingerSCAN DecedentID is an FBI IAFIS – certified and has been approved with Appendix F approved. Furthermore, the fingerprint scanner has implemented a patented LES technology. These features make the device one of its kind biometric technology that serves the stringent image performance needs by FBI.

Today, technology advancements have played an eminent role in revolutionizing the healthcare biometrics industry. Manufacturers are focusing more on making the solution affordable to cut down on the healthcare service cost. With so much happening in the healthcare biometrics industry, FingerSCAN DecedentID brings a ray of hope when it comes to identifying a deceased and informing his or her family members.

Pranjal Mehta is a highly distinguished digital marketing specialist working actively in the Life Science segment at Big Market Research.

How Photo Biometrics Can Improve Healthcare Outcomes for Patients

June 28, 2016/6227 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.

Top 5 Questions For Biometric Patient ID Vendors

May 28, 2016/6855 views / 0 Comments/in BLOG, Data Integrity, Health Care, Infection Control, Patient Identification, Patient Outcomes, Patient Safety /by John Trader

Biometric patient ID solution deployments to increase patient safety, eliminate duplicate medical records, and prevent medical ID theft and healthcare fraud are spreading rapidly throughout the healthcare industry. More medical facilities are researching the implementation of biometric patient ID in response to the increased attention and negative downstream impact caused by misidentification and the push to achieve 100% patient ID accuracy in healthcare.

Learn the top 5 questions to ask when researching biometric patient identification solutions.

While the front end benefits of implementing biometrics for patient identification may be clear, what often may be slightly fuzzy is the back end technology of biometric patient ID systems and just what exactly the technology is actually capable of achieving. Biometric technology is not static, and depending on which modality a medical facility chooses, the ability to achieve some of the aforementioned benefits may be limited.

As a biometric vendor with over 14 years of experience in biometrics, cloud-computing, integration, and large-scale project implementations, we understand the technology and its capabilities and limitations. We know what certain biometric modalities are capable of, and are well positioned to offer educated recommendations on the best and most effective biometric technology for patient identification in healthcare. Unfortunately, many misunderstandings of biometrics exist that could influence decisions to adopt the technology to improve patient safety in healthcare.

Never fear! We are here to help make sense of biometrics for patient ID in healthcare by offering advice on the top 5 questions hospitals and medical facilities should be asking during the research phase of their due diligence to implement the most effective and sustainable solution. Here are our top 5 questions you should ask when researching biometric patient ID solutions:

Does a patient have to physically touch a biometric hardware device to be enrolled and identified?

Why this is important: Patient hand hygiene is terrible. In fact, Dr. Lona Mody and her research team at The University of Michigan recently released a study that reported: “One-quarter of patients (24.1 percent) had at least one multidrug-resistant organism (MDRO), or superbug, on their hands when they checked in.”
Hospitals have a responsibility to ensure the cleanliness of any new devices introduced as part of the patient check-in or care process that require patient contact to support infection control protocols. The rise in awareness of the dangers that hospital-borne infections cause should call into question patient safety issues that contact-dependent biometric pose, especially in light of the dangers that MRSA, Ebola, and other germs and illnesses that can be spread by contact. Think about a patient who may be pregnant and not realize it who contracts an illness that jeopardizes the safety of themeselves and their child simply by touching a device that wasn’t properly cleaned?
Implementing contact-dependent biometric hardware requires medical facilities to ensure that the device is properly sanitized. Hospitals who see an average of 350,000 patients per year could be facing an extra $38,000 in sanitation expenses after implementing a contact dependent biometric hardware device.
The use of contact dependent biometrics can also have a negative impact on patient acceptance. Patients unwilling to touch a device will most likely decline to use the patient identification system. Since patient acceptance and participation is voluntary and the goal is to maximize their use of the technology to drive incremental value, this should be a concern for medical facilities.
Is the back end biometric technology based on one-to-many or one-to-few segmented searches?
Why this is important: The only true way to prevent duplicate medical records and tangibly improve patient safety and patient data integrity through a biometric patient identification solution is to implement a system based on a one-to-many (1:N) search. Biometric patient ID systems based on a 1:N search compare a captured biometric template against ALL stored templates in the biometric database during enrollment.
Alternatively, a one-to-few segmented search (1:Few) compares a captured biometric template against a portion of the total biometric database; hence, a credential (such as date of birth) needs to be provided prior to the biometric scan to determine which templates should be compared against. The biometric system would then compare the captured template against only those templates that share the same birth date.
This is an extremely important question to ask when vetting biometric patient identification solutions. If the premise of implementing biometrics to identify patients is eliminating duplicate medical records, prevention of medical ID theft, and to improve patient safety, solutions based on a 1:Few search do not have the ability to deliver.
Can the biometric patient ID solution recognize patients from any encounter end point?
Why this is important: In the old days, healthcare delivery seemed much simpler. You get sick or suffer an ailment and drive to the doctor’s office or hospital. Treatment is rendered. You go home (or rehab if needed). However, modern healthcare and the digitization of care delivery has radically changed the complexion of how, when, and where we receive services. We now have the ability to login into patient portals 24/7 to view, read, or download data. Telemedicine visits allow us to receive care without every leaving the comfort of our couch. mHealth apps place medical advice, care services, and protected health information (PHI) data access in the palm of our hands.
These examples represent just a few of the new touchpoints along the care continuum that have blossomed in popularity witnessed by the digitization and personalization of healthcare. Although these examples shed light on the new reality of healthcare, accurate patient identification becomes no less important prior to accessing these new touchpoints. The problem is that not all biometric patient ID solutions have the ability to address accurate patient ID at every new touchpoint. Most are built and designed to handle patient ID in one venue and one venue only – face to face patient registration in brick and mortar environments.
If achieving accurate patient ID prior to accessing sensitive PHI or administering services through a new touchpoint along the care continuum is just as important as accurate patient identification at the point of service, why would you want to invest in a solution not built on a centralized model for strong identification wherever a patient may be?
Does the biometric patient ID solution have the ability to instantly identify unconscious patients?
Why this is important: Many hospitals and medical facilities like the idea that a biometric patient ID solution can identify unconscious or disoriented patients. It’s a big selling point and with good reason — patients who arrive unconscious or disoriented without identification or a family member present pose a serious risk. What if the patient is allergic to a medication? What if they have a pre-existing condition that could adversely affect or complicate treatment rendered?
Certain biometric patient ID solutions have the unique ability to instantly identify unconscious patients but not unless they use 1:N back end searches (see #2 in this post). When seconds can mean life or death, you may not want to invest in a biometric patient identification solution using 1:Few segmented searches because then clinicians will have to guess a date of birth age prior to scanning the patient’s biometric credentials. Back end search limitations can delay the identification of an unconscious or disoriented patient.
What age groups are eligible to use the biometric patient identification solution?
Why this is important: As mentioned earlier, a key metric to drive incremental value for any biometric patient ID solution is patient participation. Depending upon the back end biometric technology, not all patients are qualified to enroll in the system. Some biometric patient ID solutions recommend not to enroll patients under a certain age and others will require a larger investment in hardware to enroll younger patients who must then be repeatedly re-enrolled as they grow older and their biometric attributes change.
Biometric patient ID systems exist to protect patients from the dangers of misidentification which include, but are not limited to:
–duplicate medical records
–overlays
–medical identity theft
–healthcare fraud
Considering the fact that no patient is exempt from the risks that jeopardize their safety when not identified accurately, the post implementation goal should be to maximize patient enrollment, regardless of what age they may be.
Did you know that children as young as pre-conception are in danger of being medical identity theft victims? Biometric patient identification systems that restrict enrollment based on age are not valuable. This is an important question to ask.

Investing in a biometric patient ID solution is an exercise in educating yourself about what these systems can and cannot accomplish. While no system is perfect or a panacea to solve all the problems of patient misidentification, achieving higher quality healthcare and improving patient safety are attainable goals that can be reached when the right solution is deployed. Be cautious when researching and make sure you are asking these 5 questions!

Expanding Biometric Patient Identification to Raise Patient Safety Levels in Ireland

April 21, 2016/6599 views / 0 Comments/in BLOG, Comments On Recent Biometric News Stories, Future of Biometrics, International Deployments, Partnerships, Patient Identification /by John Trader

new partnership brings accurate patient identification technology to Ireland's healthcare providers

Our new partnership with The Lava Group will help to improve accurate patient identification for healthcare providers in Ireland.

The following post was submitted by Michael Trader, President and Co-Founder of RightPatient®

Excited to announce that RightPatient® has partnered with The Lava Group to expand the use of photo biometrics for accurate patient identification to healthcare providers in Ireland! The goal is to expand use of our patient identification platform to Ireland’s healthcare providers who seek to implement technology that increases patient safety, prevents medical identity theft, and eliminates duplicate medical records.

The Lava Group are experts in providing innovative solutions for the criminal justice and connected health markets with 20 years of experience in some of the most complex and demanding security environments across Europe. They have a long and successful track record in biometric system integration and are well positioned to introduce photo biometrics to ensure accurate patient identification across Ireland.

Accurate patient identification across the care continuum is a persistent global challenge as healthcare organizations continue to struggle with providing an accurate, complete view of patient data across multiple, often disparate providers. Our partnership with The Lava Group is an important step in RightPatient’s efforts to solve the global patient identity challenge.

You can read the full news release on our Web site here.

Michael Trader is President and Co-Founder of RightPatient®. Michael is responsible for overseeing business development and marketing activities, government outreach, and for providing senior leadership on business and policy issues.

Patient Identification in Healthcare: Unlocking Technology to Improve Patient Safety

April 7, 2016/6960 views / 0 Comments/in BLOG, Comments On Recent Biometric News Stories, Future of Biometrics, Health Care, Podcasts /by John Trader

In the effort to draw attention to the ongoing problems that patient misidentification in healthcare creates, we were excited at the opportunity to discuss technology options now available for hospitals to increase patient ID accuracy with the eHealth Radio Network. Listen to the brand new podcast and learn:

Listen to this brand new podcast from the eHealth Radio network featuring RightPatient President Michael Trader discussing the current state of patient identification in healthcare

— The latest news and updates from RightPatient® President Michael Trader
— Why biometric patient ID seamless integration with an EHR system is critical
— The impact of biometric patient identification solutions on revenue cycle management (RCM)
— Why experience in biometrics and system integration is an important attribute to evaluate when selecting a vendor
— An update on the CHIME/HeroX national patient ID challenge

Take a moment and listen in to this podcast for more information on how to solve the vexing problem of achieving 100% accurate patient ID in healthcare. Thank you to Eric Michaels and the eHealth Radio team for the opportunity!

Guest Blogging Opportunities

April 2, 2016/5610 views / 0 Comments/in BLOG, Guest Blog Posts /by John Trader

Part of any successful blog campaign is the ability to secure quality, third party guest bloggers to contribute their knowledge and wisdom on applicable topics. At RightPatient®, we are committed to educating our community through our blog content which covers the following topics:

— Biometrics for patient identification
— Increasing patient safety in healthcare
— Impact of accurate patient identification on revenue cycle management (RCM)
— New biometric identification trends and topics
— Infection control
— Patient data integrity
— Health Information Management (HIM)
— Duplicate medical records and overlays in healthcare
— Healthcare fraud and medical identity theft

Interested in demonstrating your thought leadership on a topic related to patient identification in healthcare.

Some of our recent guest blog contributions include:

5 Big Indicators You Should Replace Your Revenue Cycle Management Solution
Infographic: Understanding and Preventing Hospital Acquired Infections

We consistently seek bright minds to contribute a guest post that covers any of these topics and continue our mission of educating our community and securing more attention to the critical and complicated topic of achieving 100% patient identification accuracy in healthcare.

Interested in contributing a guest post on a topic related to patient ID in healthcare? Please drop us an email at: info@rightpatient.com and tell us your idea. We would enjoy the opportunity to work with you on publishing your content to demonstrate your thought leadership and expertise! We are happy to provide you with proper credit and a backlink to your Website. Please include a suggested image for the post and your byline in the draft.

Please note that guest bloggers are limited to one post every three months. Each submission must include:

Original content (and creativity!)
A licensed image to go with the post
The author’s byline

We look forward to the opportunity to work with you on publishing your content to demonstrate your thought leadership and expertise! We are happy to provide you with proper credit and a backlink to your Website. (up to three backlinks are permitted, including the author’s byline).

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

March 28, 2016/5890 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.

Is Petitioning Congress the Answer to Achieving Accurate Patient ID?

March 24, 2016/5575 views / 0 Comments/in BLOG, Comments On Recent Biometric News Stories, Health Care, Patient Identification, Patient Matching /by John Trader

Hat tip for the recent efforts by the American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA) to launch a petition drive that will move Congress to lift the federal legislative ban that has prohibited the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) from participating in efforts to find a patient identification solution. It’s a noble effort and adds fuel to the hot fire burning in the industry to solve the persistent and dangerous problem of achieving accurate patient identification in healthcare. We understand that the effort to improve patient identification in healthcare has many downstream benefits to the entire industry including (but not limited to):

— Revenue cycle management
— Patient safety
— Health information exchange
— Population health

AHIMA’s efforts to petition Congress to life the federal moratorium on funding research on developing a national patient identifier may not do much to adequately solve the problem.

The fact that organizations with the clout of AHIMA and CHIME have contributed their powerful voices to the battle of improving patient ID in healthcare is advantageous to the end goal of finding a universal solution that can be adopted collectively throughout the industry. AHIMA and CHIME’s efforts are working to garner more attention to the persistent patient matching problem in healthcare and sparking more discussions about how to solve the problem. Often relegated as a back seat initiative in favor of other healthcare technology initiatives (e.g. – ICD-10, EHR implementation, interoperability), we have always believed that improving patient identification in healthcare should be higher on the priority list.

AHIMA’s initiative has merit, but is advocating the use of a credential predicated on the concept of presenting something you have or know the answer to solving the patient identification problem in healthcare? One of the reasons that the healthcare industry has struggled with accurate patient identification is that legacy methods of identifying patients have proven to be easy targets to exploit. Human identification generally falls into three distinct categories:

“What you know” – address, phone number, date of birth
“What you have” – insurance card, driver’s license, passport, government issued identity
“Who you are” – biometrics

Traditional identification methods generally rely on asking a patient what they know or what they have but we already know that these are frequently abused and easy sources to commit fraud. Just look at the continued rise in cases of medical identity theft at the point of service – an estimated 2.3 million Americans or close family members had their identities stolen during or before 2014, and a large number of these cases involve family members stealing or sharing medical insurance credentials.

In geographic locations throughout the country where a large percentage of the patient demographic may share similar names, providing a false name or multiple variations of a name at the point of service in order to defraud the system is common. An example widely used throughout the industry to illustrate this is the Harris County Hospital District in Houston where among 3.5 million patients, there are nearly 70,000 instances where two or more patients shared the same last name, first name and date of birth. Among these were 2,488 different patients named Maria Garcia and 231 of those shared the same birth date.

In geographic locations throughout the country where a large percentage of the patient demographic may share similar names, providing a false name or multiple variations of a name at the point of service in order to defraud the system is common. An example widely used throughout the industry to illustrate this is the Harris County Hospital District in Houston where among 3.5 million patients, are were nearly 70,000 instances where two or more patients shared the same last name, first name and date of birth. Among these were 2,488 different patients named Maria Garcia and 231 of those shared the same birth date.

Pushing Congress to lift the federal moratorium on funding research on developing a national patient identifier may lead to a solution that requires patients who opt-in to bring this credential with them when seeking medical treatment. In the absence of incorporating an additional identification credential that relies on “who you are,” simply creating another individual authentication credential that relies on “what you know” or “what you have” leads us down the same path of abuse and fraud. After all, in theory the national patient identifier would be similar to a social security number or other credential that is subject to being stolen, shared, or swapped just like current methods of identification. Do we really want to allow this to happen? Seems as if this solution would be the equivalent or rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic.

Moving forward, the smarter way to solve the identification crisis in healthcare is to adopt technology that identifies patients by who they are, or some sort of a combination of what you have or what you know with who you are. For example, the use of biometrics for patient identification – already a proven technology that patients accept and significantly reduces duplicate medical records, overlays, medical identity theft, and fraud – would be a more sensible way to identify patients to alleviate the problems caused by misidentification.

Lobbying Congress to lift the moratorium on funding research to develop a national patient identifier won’t solve the patient ID problem in healthcare unless the industry realizes that it must move away from antiquated identification methods that rely on what you have and/or what you know and instead shift to identifying patients by who they are. Unless this is part of the equation, healthcare will continue to spin it’s wheels in the effort to solve the vexing problem of how to achieve 100% accurate patient identification.