Palm Scanning Tool Cuts Back on Patient ID Errors, Boosts Security

Vein recognition technology that links to electronic health record systems can help expedite patient registration and prevent duplication and fraud, InformationWeek reports.

Earlier this month, NYU Langone Medical Center went live with a biometric technology system, called PatientSecure, that converts a digital palm image into a unique patient ID.

HT Systems, the Florida-based health IT vendor that produces the system, said its technology is being used by more than 50 hospitals and hundreds of physician offices and clinics (Versel, InformationWeek, 6/17).

To use the biometric reader system, a patient places his or her hand on a small box that uses an infrared light to scan and map an image of a blood-flow pattern through the veins in the patient’s palm. The image then is converted into a unique ID that automatically registers patients and accesses their EHRs.

Benefits of Technology

The system can help lower the risk of misidentification and increase security by minimizing the need for alternate forms of identifying information, such as a driver’s license or Social Security numbers.

At NYU Langone Medical Center, patients were asked if they wanted to opt-in to using the technology.

Officials at the medical center said the scanner has streamlined the lengthy registration process and has increased patient security. The technology also has allowed medical staff to identify patients who are unconscious or unable to communicate.

Bernard Birnbaum — senior vice president of hospital operations at NYU Langone Medical Center — said the technology has cut down on the number of patient identification errors. He said the system “not only protects privacy and enhances quality, but will transform the patient experience” (Mearian, Computerworld, 6/16).

Source: iHealthBeat