Fujitsu Frontech North America Inc., a supplier of biometric security solutions, today announced that Holy Name Hospital in Teaneck, N.J. is the first hospital in New Jersey to implement the Fujitsu PalmSecure palm vein authentication technology for patient registration and identification.
The Fujitsu PalmSecure biometric solution integrates into Holy Name's new Palm First registration system to bolster security of medical records and enhance the overall patient experience, according to the company. The PalmSecure technology helps Holy Name prevent medical identify theft and comply with the Healthcare Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) while ensuring that patients receive care more efficiently.
"Holy Name is committed to providing the fastest and most reliable services to our patients and their families, and we pride ourselves on consistently being the first hospital in the area to offer the latest technologies and procedures to ensure that our patients continue to receive the best care possible," said Barbara Franzese Cron, manager of marketing communications at Holy Name Hospital. "By implementing the Fujitsu PalmSecure palm vein authentication technology, Palm First provides definitive, accurate patient identification to protect patient privacy and make sure that our patients receive the right tests, medications and procedures every time."
PalmSecure technology uses a near-infrared light to capture a patient's palm vein pattern, generating a unique biometric template that is matched against pre-registered users' palm vein patterns. It is a contactless authentication technology that offers a hygienic solution for verifying patient identity. This advanced, vascular pattern recognition solution is highly reliable — the technology's false acceptance ratio is just 0.00008 percent — in a form factor that is non-intrusive, easy-to-use and generates extremely fast comparisons.
As part of Holy Name Hospital's Palm First registration system, the PalmSecure solution will protect patient identity and medical information, prevent impersonation and eliminate misidentification related to human error. It also eliminates duplicate medical records resulting from having patients registered under more than one name or address during multiple visits, and it allows for positive identification in an emergency — even if a patient is unconscious.
"The continued adoption of PalmSecure technology at hospitals nationwide validates the need for a more robust, patient-friendly solution to safeguard against medical identity theft and comply with HIPAA and other regulations," said Vic Herring, vice president of sales and business development, Advanced Technology Group, Fujitsu Frontech North America Inc. "We are pleased that Holy Name Hospital is the first hospital in New Jersey to deploy our technology in promoting patient safety while improving healthcare efficiency."
