Biometrics highlighted as a crucial part of trusted patient ID verification

There is general consensus on the need for high-level security and trust when it comes to digital ID verification, but it is even more so with patient ID verification given the often very sensitive and delicate nature of the data involved.

That is why experts argue that with the increasing concerns about fraud and other cyber threats, new approaches must be considered in the management of patient ID.

Kenya, for example, says that it is turning back to biometrics as a key step in efforts to sanitize its Social Health Insurance Fund (SHIF) which has been plagued by fraud.

“If patients trust biometrics for phones and finances, why not healthcare?”

The place of biometrics is sufficiently emphasized in an opinion by Aneta Ciurkot, a security expert with focus on patient ID verification at NEC America.

The writer argues that it is important to move away from the traditional patient verification methods used in many health facilities which have often led to costly mistakes, inadequate or inappropriate delivery of healthcare and other benefits.

According to the NEC official, one of the ways to effectively tackle these challenges is the incorporation of biometrics into patient verification systems.

While its is agreed that patient verification is extremely important, the write-up underscores the preponderance of technologies such as biometrics and other AI-powered systems.

“Imagine a patient journey where check-in takes seconds. A simple biometric scan verifies your identity against legitimate records, ensuring accuracy and saving time. Providers can focus on care, not administrative tasks,” Ciurkot reflects.

Biometrics, she says, is no luxury, but rather “a necessity” because adopting biometric verification “reduces the burden on workers, enhances security, and delivers the seamless experience patients deserve.”

She cites the example of the US where the use of biometrics is quite high across sectors, but not very much so when it comes to patient ID verification.

“If patients trust biometrics for phones and finances, why not healthcare?” she asks rhetorically, adding that now is the right moment to make the move in order to change the face of patient verification for good by using advanced technologies that enhance accuracy, reduce errors and streamline processes.

The example from Estonia

Estonia is leading the world in several aspects of digital transformation, and digital patient verification and records management is one of such success stories the country has to share with others.

The country is said to have implemented a “patient-centred approach” healthcare system – developed over a period of 20 years – which enables the delivery of services with efficiency and transparency, a December 20 press release indicates.

In broad terms, it describes the successes recorded by Estonia’s digital health system with is powered by generative AI and ensures that about 99 percent of prescriptions are done digitally. The system has a secure digital health records infrastructure where citizens have full control over their health information and records.

With a secure and interoperable digital ID system, Estonia’s healthcare architecture is one where nearly 99 percent of Estonian health data is digitalized, with nearly 100 percent of patients having digital health records.

The modern health system is thus seen as a model not only for Gulf countries, but for those in other regions of the world.

Estonia’s X-Road model has also been a digital government example for many other countries to emulate.

Biometrics to fight health insurance fraud in Kenya

Authorities of the SHIF in Kenya say they are planning a progressive rollout of a biometric verification system to enable streamlined access to healthcare services by patients.

Kenya’s Health Cabinet Secretary Deborah Barasa said the move will replace the current One Time Pin system which has proven not only to be slow, but vulnerable to fraud, costing the country huge sums of money.

Currently, the biometric devices for patient verification have been deployed in selected hospitals, but the government says the plan is to deploy the system in all health facilities across the country, according to Nation.

Since 2021, Kenya has been urging citizens to register their biometrics for a more streamlined health insurance system.

“We will shift back to biometric since this is the only way we can curb corruption. With NHIF, the biometrics was just at facility level and what some of the corrupt health care providers were doing, they would take their own fingerprint, which would then be used by thousands of patients within the facility,” the Health Secretary said.

Last year, the government expressed worries that some hospital staff were fraudulently using patients’ fingerprint biometrics to defraud the health insurance system, occasioning huge losses for the state.

First hospital launches digital health system in PNG

Another country which recently introduced a digital health system is Papua New Guinea (PNG).

The Kudjip Nazarene General Hospital is the first health facility to do so in the country, Post Courier reports.

One of the changes the new system will bring is that consultations will no longer be done using clinic books going forward, the CEO of the hospital, Joseph Sike, is quoted as saying.

Article Topics

biometrics  |  digital identity  |  Estonia  |  healthcare  |  identity verification  |  Kenya  |  NEC  |  NECAM  |  Papua New Guinea  |  patient identification