The increase applicability of biometrics as a practical individual identification tool is a key reason it is one of the fastest evolving technologies around the world. Seen as a technology that is a logical replacement for antiquated and cumbersome personal identification numbers (PINs) and passwords, biometrics is a more secure alternative to enhance individual identification accuracy and system security. The healthcare industry is benefiting from biometrics too as more hospitals are using it to accurately identify patients and improve patient safety. The market for biometrics in healthcare was recently valued at $1.2 billion in 2012 according to a Transparency Market Research report which also suggested that it is forecasted to grow at a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 25.9%, en route to an estimated market value of $5.8 billion in 2019.

Why is biometric technology necessary in the healthcare industry?

Accurate patient identification - Traditional patient identification methods are no longer adequate and accurate patient identification with biometric technology is starting to create a big buzz among healthcare facilities all over the world. Correctly identifying patients at the point of entry to the healthcare facility should be the first priority for hospitals. The use of biometrics for patient identification not only identifies patients upon arrival and at each point along the care continuum, but it also accurately links clinical procedures to the correct medical records to avoid mistakes that can jeopardize patient safety.

Prevent duplicate medical records and overlays - Duplicate medical records and overlays are a persistent problem in healthcare; particularly when a hospital adopts an electronic health record system (EHR). Moreover, medical facilities that still rely on paper-based medical record systems for duplicates and overlays may spend sixty to one hundred hours correcting the mistakes. In fact, the time to fix a paper based duplicate medical record or overlay can take months depending on the complexity of the system. Biometric patient identification is the only way to prevent duplicates and overlays at the point of service.

Eliminate medical identity theft - Medical identity theft occurs when a person steals another individual’s personal information such as a social security number or medical insurance card in order to receive payment for medical treatment or to buy drugs and services. According to a recent study by the Ponemon Institute, nearly 1.5 million Americans have been victims of medical identity theft with an estimated total cost of $28.6 billion. By deploying biometric patient identification technology, hospitals can eliminate medical identity theft because biometric devices such as iris scanners or palm vein readers recognize people’s physical traits which are near nearly impossible to steal, fake, or spoof.

Raise data integrity levels – Healthcare interoperability is the ability to which systems and devices can exchange data and interpret that shared data. For two systems to be interoperable, they must be able to exchange data and subsequently present that data such that it can be understood by a user. Biometric patient identification integrated with electronic health/medical records software systems can increase data integrity standards by ensuring that the right care is documented to the right patient in the right medical record without the possibility of any duplicates or overlays. Data integrity is an essential element of successful healthcare interoperability and biometrics helps to create and maintain high data integrity standards.

To streamline the patient enrollment process - Biometrics facilitates a fast, simple and patient friendly enrollment process. The process is time saving, easy to use and truly guards patients against medical identity theft and the creation of duplicate medical records.

What other technologies can successfully eliminate duplicate medical records and medical identity theft? Please feel free to share your thoughts.

About Me: I am Sr. Executive - SEO/SEM/PPC in M2SYS Technology, a recognized industry leader in biometric identity management technology. M2SYS continues to innovate, build and bring to market leading-edge biometrics solutions that revolutionize the industry and expand the applicability of biometrics technology in the marketplace.