Spurred in part by progress in the credit card industry, payers and providers are taking advantage of new technologies to simplify patient identification at check-in, according to HealthLeaders Magazine.
In 2010, Charlotte, N.C.-based Carolinas HealthCare System deployed a successful patient-matching biometric program using palm-vein scanning technology. The biometric device captures a person's unique vein pattern image while radiating the palm with near-infrared rays.
The palm-vein scanning tech has a failure rate of 0.11 percent, as compared to a current national patient-matching failure rate of 8 to10 percent, according to the report. The biometric system has been voluntarily accepted by 99 percent of Carolinas' patient population and has stored algorithms for nearly 2 million unique patients at 900 care locations and 39 hospitals.
Since the biometrics ID introduction, Carolinas HealthCare has successfully reduced elective surgery fraud, avoided costly duplication of patient records and streamlined workflow processes
"When you see some of the new things coming out like meaningful use stage 3 and requiring interoperability, a lot of discussion that's going on has to do with uniquely identifying a patient and trying to get an identifier associated with that patient," Carolinas HealthCare System's senior vice president and CIO, Craig D. Richardville, told HealthLeaders.
Carolinas HealthCare plans to incorporate palm-vein scanners into its deployment of self-service check-in kiosks at hospitals to streamline revenue cycle workflow and reduce check-in lines, said Mr. Richardville. The kiosks will also be able to accept payment at time of check-in.