Element to provide software-only palm biometrics for PSI healthcare access initiative

Element is partnering with health organization Population Services International (PSI) to pilot a biometric identification platform to support community health workers providing targeted services, according to a joint announcement.

PSI is a global non-profit organization operating in 67 countries, and will leverage Element’s platform for non-touch enrollment and authentication technology to transform healthcare for potentially millions of people by providing access for those without identification. Element’s palm biometric technology will be combined with SMS vouchers to connect clients with PSI’s social franchise clinics and community health workers.

“Element moves PSI closer to empowering youth to take their health into their own hands,” said James Brown, Director of Marketing and Innovation at PSI East Africa. “For PSI, the biometric platform provides an extraordinary opportunity to follow a client’s health journey in real-time, helping us continuously improve our programming, reach more clients, and develop longer term health relationships with them.”

Earlier this year Element raised $12 million in Series A funding to support its goal of providing digital identity for financial and social inclusion with only the camera found on a typical mobile device, and the company’s software-only biometric platform. The biometric data it collects is protected by end-to-end security architecture which prevents it from being reverse-engineered for fraudulent use and protects user privacy, the company says.

“At Element, we strive to build an inclusive platform that meets people where they are – in a user friendly, subtle, and non-invasive way,” said Montague Hermann, Director of Global Market Development at Element. “Without the dependency on mobile connectivity, our solution will improve the scope of PSI’s existing referral mechanisms and create better linkages to different levels of care.”

Element also says its software is designed for interoperability, and that the data it captures can be synced with any nation-wide EMR (electronic medical records) or HIS (healthcare information system), including DHIS2, as well as PSI’s Connecting with Sara (CwS) platform and other mobile applications.

Article Topics

biometrics  |  digital identity  |  Element  |  healthcare  |  palm biometrics  |  palm verification