This content is sponsored by Imprivata.
Patient identification errors jeopardize patient safety and result in costly and long-lasting ramifications for providers. The Joint Commission lists improving patient identification as its top national safety goal for hospitals, and, in its 2014 Patient Identification and Matching Final Report, the Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT urged providers to adopt technological solutions to help reduce the number of patient misidentifications.
Effective technologies can and should address patient identification problems, but many healthcare providers are still seeking the right technological solutions. Providers are incentivized to use electronic medical record-keeping systems, but no ubiquitous, interoperable records platform exists. Providers are making significant investments in EMR systems, sometimes spending millions on implementations, yet methods for gathering patient information remain imprecise.
Many facilities still rely on rudimentary oral registration processes to enter patients' information into sophisticated electronic systems — relying on judgement at the point of registration to pull the right medical record for the patient checking in. Vocally relaying and manually entering private patient identification information leaves ample room for error by the patient, the registration desk or the computer system itself. Whether unintentional (consider the patient who has a new record created since the registrar did not think to associate them with a previous record under a maiden name) or intentional (consider the patient who is using a relative's insurance card fraudulently to get care), mistakes made in the registration process contribute to serious lapses in patient safety, costly record duplication and security concerns.
At the source, patient identification errors exist because most healthcare organizations have yet to find an effective way to uniquely identify each patient at the point of care. To address this issue, leading healthcare organizations are deploying a proven patient identification solution that uses innovative biometric technology to accurately and securely identify each patient and integrate with providers' existing patient record databases. Following an easy and secure enrollment process, the biometric technology solution, provided by a Massachusetts-based company called Imprivata, creates a one-to-one link between patients and their individual digital health records.
This is how it works: a patient places his or her hand over a near-infrared light scanner. The scan captures the unique vein pattern in the patient's palm and produces a biometric template, a digital representation of the vein pattern. During the initial enrollment process, Imprivata PatientSecure automatically associates this unique biometric template with the patient's medical record. The scanner generates a single biometric identifier for every patient, creating a link between individual patients and their unique medical information across each of the EMRs and clinical applications that the patient interacts with. Once enrolled, returning patients simply provide their date of birth and scan their palm to identify themselves at any location within their health network, directly within an EMR or another registration screen.
Patient safety
Applied at the registration desk, palm vein identification technology saves lives by allowing providers to immediately identify unconscious patients who arrive without family members, those who have received care in a different facility or unaccompanied children who may not have identification. With the scan of a patient's hand and their birth date, the solution links up to a single medical record, giving providers the information they need, including allergies, medications and medical history. This enables the care team to deliver the proper care — and to do so faster.
"The main driver for our clients has consistently been patient safety," says David Wiener, general manager of the Imprivata PatientSecure products group. "In order to provide proper care for patients, the provider's job requires that they have full insight into their patient's correct medical history. Proper patient identification is the lynchpin of the care process, and it is unsettling how often this fundamental step in the care process is compromised." In fact, 7 percent to 10 percent of patients are misidentified during medical record searches, and 6 percent result in an adverse event, according to a 2012 report published in The Wall Street Journal.
It is possible for patients to have several medical record numbers assigned to them, which increases the likelihood of patient data matching errors, duplicative tests and services, medication errors and other risks to safety. Establishing a unique identifier that is biometrically linked to the patient makes it possible to prevent the creation of duplicate medical records or the misidentification of a patient with the wrong medical record.
Bennett Cheramie, vice president of information technology at Baton Rouge (La.) General Hospital, says, "Sometimes our patients come into the hospital and we can't get their names right away. By getting their palm vein scan we can access all their medical record information to treat them effectively. Without our biometric solution, we may have to wait a number of days before the patient recovers and is able to give us their patient information."
Tim Tindle executive vice president and CIO of Harris Health System, says the Imprivata PatientSecure solution has yielded similarly positive results at Harris. "The scanners, combined with all-digital medical records, have not only diminished the risk of mixing up patient charts, but they have also reduced the time it takes for patients to check in, the number of duplicate medical records created and fraud involving insurance and charity care. The impact has been lower fraud and abuse. Our duplicate records have plummeted to near zero."
Patient experience
Patient identification errors can lead to unnecessary repeated tests, longer wait times and incorrect or ambiguous diagnostic information that result in patient dissatisfaction and an increased cost of care. Douglas Burket, senior systems analyst for Baton Rouge General Health System, says palm vein identification contributes to patient and staff satisfaction by streamlining the registration process for intermittent and regular patients. Palm vein biometrics outperform other types of biometric identification, such as fingerprint and retinal, in both usability and accuracy.
Because vein patterns in the human palm are unique to each individual, palm vein identification can make the registration process less intrusive and more secure. The technology requires only a palm scan and a birth date for identification, eliminating the need for patients to provide verbally sensitive information, such as a Social Security Number or address upon registration. This decreases concerns about fraud and allows for greater patient security and satisfaction.
Mr. Burket leads a hospital task force that works to reduce and remediate the number of duplicate medical records within Baton Rouge General Health System. He's seen the number of attempts of medical identity fraud decrease since the implementation of Imprivata PatientSecure.
"People think of medical fraud as a victimless crime, but it's not," says Mr. Burket. "It drives up the cost of care and the risk of medical errors. With the implementation of PatientSecure, we're found that patients looking to commit fraud tend to go elsewhere."
Jim Scwamb, retired vice president of patient financial services for Clearwater, Fla.-based BayCare Health Systems saw the need to implement a platform like PatientSecure to streamline the system's registration process. Prior to the implementation, he acted as the point person for patients who were concerned about giving their Social Security numbers and other personal information every time they came to the hospital. Most all of the patients at BayCare who were concerned about giving their private information were worried about medical identity theft. After the PatientSecure biometric scan was implemented, those fears were completely alleviated.
"We had near perfect adoption by the patients," Mr. Schwamb says. "Feedback was extremely positive. Patients felt that we were protecting their privacy, and, on the clinical side, we saw the number of duplicate records drop very quickly and overlaid records were eliminated."
Interoperability
Patient registration and check in processes often involve complex interactions with a suite of different healthcare technology systems. These technologies can include EMR; enterprise master patient indices; admission, discharge and transfer systems; and other health information systems. Oftentimes, these different systems do not integrate well together, and do not accurately match patients with their correct medical records across various record-keeping platforms.
"The Imprivata PatientSecure solution is system agnostic — conveniently embedded in the hospital information system's workflow through integration with existing systems. It's designed specifically to integrate into providers' current workflow for care," Mr. Wiener says. For hospitals that may acquire facilities, practices or clinics that use different systems, this solution spans the gaps between software.
So far, Baton Rouge General Health System has approximately 60,000 enrolled patients, according to Mr. Burket. The full-service community hospital is comprised of 590 licensed beds between two campuses. "PatientSecure works across computer systems and helps streamline patient care, no matter what procedure they're getting or which facility in our organization they're receiving care from."
A single solution
In an industry where consumers' health information is managed electronically and must be tracked throughout the care continuum, a positive patient identification solution offers a stable, unique patient identifier that allows healthcare providers to operate above technological barriers and expedite quality care.
Imprivata's PatientSecure patient identity management platform gives patients a trusted, safe option that eases the registration process, keeps their private information secure and — above all — keeps them safe. It enables providers to offer more efficient care and conserve resources by better tracking patient information inside their system, while exchanging the right information to coordinate care outside of their systems. Most importantly, as duplicate records and overlays within providers' health information systems are mitigated through proper identification and accurate retrieval of the patient record, Imprivata PatientSecure fosters increased patient safety and satisfaction.
Reality Check: Why it is Time to Address the Patient Identification Process at the Source to Stop Bleeding Money and Putting Patients at Risk
Patient identification errors jeopardize patient safety and result in costly and long-lasting ramifications for providers. The Joint Commission lists improving patient identification as its top national safety goal for hospitals, and, in its 2014 Patient Identification and Matching Final Report, the Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT urged providers to adopt technological solutions to help reduce the number of patient misidentifications.
Effective technologies can and should address patient identification problems, but many healthcare providers are still seeking the right technological solutions. Providers are incentivized to use electronic medical record-keeping systems, but no ubiquitous, interoperable records platform exists. Providers are making significant investments in EMR systems, sometimes spending millions on implementations, yet methods for gathering patient information remain imprecise.
Many facilities still rely on rudimentary oral registration processes to enter patients' information into sophisticated electronic systems — relying on judgement at the point of registration to pull the right medical record for the patient checking in. Vocally relaying and manually entering private patient identification information leaves ample room for error by the patient, the registration desk or the computer system itself. Whether unintentional (consider the patient who has a new record created since the registrar did not think to associate them with a previous record under a maiden name) or intentional (consider the patient who is using a relative's insurance card fraudulently to get care), mistakes made in the registration process contribute to serious lapses in patient safety, costly record duplication and security concerns.
At the source, patient identification errors exist because most healthcare organizations have yet to find an effective way to uniquely identify each patient at the point of care. To address this issue, leading healthcare organizations are deploying a proven patient identification solution that uses innovative biometric technology to accurately and securely identify each patient and integrate with providers' existing patient record databases. Following an easy and secure enrollment process, the biometric technology solution, provided by a Massachusetts-based company called Imprivata, creates a one-to-one link between patients and their individual digital health records.
This is how it works: a patient places his or her hand over a near-infrared light scanner. The scan captures the unique vein pattern in the patient's palm and produces a biometric template, a digital representation of the vein pattern. During the initial enrollment process, Imprivata PatientSecure automatically associates this unique biometric template with the patient's medical record. The scanner generates a single biometric identifier for every patient, creating a link between individual patients and their unique medical information across each of the EMRs and clinical applications that the patient interacts with. Once enrolled, returning patients simply provide their date of birth and scan their palm to identify themselves at any location within their health network, directly within an EMR or another registration screen.
Patient safety
Applied at the registration desk, palm vein identification technology saves lives by allowing providers to immediately identify unconscious patients who arrive without family members, those who have received care in a different facility or unaccompanied children who may not have identification. With the scan of a patient's hand and their birth date, the solution links up to a single medical record, giving providers the information they need, including allergies, medications and medical history. This enables the care team to deliver the proper care — and to do so faster.
"The main driver for our clients has consistently been patient safety," says David Wiener, general manager of the Imprivata PatientSecure products group. "In order to provide proper care for patients, the provider's job requires that they have full insight into their patient's correct medical history. Proper patient identification is the lynchpin of the care process, and it is unsettling how often this fundamental step in the care process is compromised." In fact, 7 percent to 10 percent of patients are misidentified during medical record searches, and 6 percent result in an adverse event, according to a 2012 report published in The Wall Street Journal.
It is possible for patients to have several medical record numbers assigned to them, which increases the likelihood of patient data matching errors, duplicative tests and services, medication errors and other risks to safety. Establishing a unique identifier that is biometrically linked to the patient makes it possible to prevent the creation of duplicate medical records or the misidentification of a patient with the wrong medical record.
Bennett Cheramie, vice president of information technology at Baton Rouge (La.) GeneralHospital, says, "Sometimes our patients come into the hospital and we can't get their names right away. By getting their palm vein scan we can access all their medical record information to treat them effectively. Without our biometric solution, we may have to wait a number of days before the patient recovers and is able to give us their patient information."
Tim Tindle executive vice president and CIO of Harris Health System, says the Imprivata PatientSecure solution has yielded similarly positive results at Harris. "The scanners, combined with all-digital medical records, have not only diminished the risk of mixing up patient charts, but they have also reduced the time it takes for patients to check in, the number of duplicate medical records created and fraud involving insurance and charity care. The impact has been lower fraud and abuse. Our duplicate records have plummeted to near zero."
Patient experience
Patient identification errors can lead to unnecessary repeated tests, longer wait times and incorrect or ambiguous diagnostic information that result in patient dissatisfaction and an increased cost of care. Douglas Burket, senior systems analyst for Baton Rouge General Health System, says palm vein identification contributes to patient and staff satisfaction by streamlining the registration process for intermittent and regular patients. Palm vein biometrics outperform other types of biometric identification, such as fingerprint and retinal, in both usability and accuracy.
Because vein patterns in the human palm are unique to each individual, palm vein identification can make the registration process less intrusive and more secure. The technology requires only a palm scan and a birth date for identification, eliminating the need for patients to provide verbally sensitive information, such as a Social Security Number or address upon registration. This decreases concerns about fraud and allows for greater patient security and satisfaction.
Mr. Burket leads a hospital task force that works to reduce and remediate the number of duplicate medical records within Baton Rouge General Health System. He's seen the number of attempts of medical identity fraud decrease since the implementation of Imprivata PatientSecure.
"People think of medical fraud as a victimless crime, but it's not," says Mr. Burket. "It drives up the cost of care and the risk of medical errors. With the implementation of PatientSecure, we're found that patients looking to commit fraud tend to go elsewhere."
Jim Scwamb, retired vice president of patient financial services for Clearwater, Fla.-based BayCare Health Systems saw the need to implement a platform like PatientSecure to streamline the system's registration process. Prior to the implementation, he acted as the point person for patients who were concerned about giving their Social Security numbers and other personal information every time they came to the hospital. Most all of the patients at BayCare who were concerned about giving their private information were worried about medical identity theft. After the PatientSecure biometric scan was implemented, those fears were completely alleviated.
"We had near perfect adoption by the patients," Mr. Schwamb says. "Feedback was extremely positive. Patients felt that we were protecting their privacy, and, on the clinical side, we saw the number of duplicate records drop very quickly and overlaid records were eliminated."
Interoperability
Patient registration and check in processes often involve complex interactions with a suite of different healthcare technology systems. These technologies can include EMR; enterprise master patient indices; admission, discharge and transfer systems; and other health information systems. Oftentimes, these different systems do not integrate well together, and do not accurately match patients with their correct medical records across various record-keeping platforms.
"The Imprivata PatientSecure solution is system agnostic — conveniently embedded in the hospital information system's workflow through integration with existing systems. It's designed specifically to integrate into providers' current workflow for care," Mr. Wiener says. For hospitals that may acquire facilities, practices or clinics that use different systems, this solution spans the gaps between software.
So far, Baton Rouge General Health System has approximately 60,000 enrolled patients, according to Mr. Burket. The full-service community hospital is comprised of 590 licensed beds between two campuses. "PatientSecure works across computer systems and helps streamline patient care, no matter what procedure they're getting or which facility in our organization they're receiving care from."
A single solution
In an industry where consumers' health information is managed electronically and must be tracked throughout the care continuum, a positive patient identification solution offers a stable, unique patient identifier that allows healthcare providers to operate above technological barriers and expedite quality care.
Imprivata's PatientSecure patient identity management platform gives patients a trusted, safe option that eases the registration process, keeps their private information secure and — above all — keeps them safe. It enables providers to offer more efficient care and conserve resources by better tracking patient information inside their system, while exchanging the right information to coordinate care outside of their systems. Most importantly, as duplicate records and overlays within providers' health information systems are mitigated through proper identification and accurate retrieval of the patient record, Imprivata PatientSecure fosters increased patient safety and satisfaction.