Vendors make their case why biometrics and the healthcare sector go together

Companies such as Amazon have been introducing biometric authentication systems into the healthcare sector, adapting its Amazon One palm biometrics system to the NYU Langone Health facilities in New York. This is prompting other industry players to lay out their arguments for why biometric systems should be used for handling sensitive patient data – and the complications that may arise.

Many outpatient clinics use different electronic health records (EHR) and without a universal biometric standard, data sharing between providers becomes difficult. A patient identified by a fingerprint scan at one clinic may not be recognized by a facial recognition system at another, resulting in fragmented records and inefficiencies in care coordination, according to a blog post published by patient identification platform RightPatient.

Clinics can address this issue by ensuring compliance with industry standards, from the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) to those set by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) or Health Level Seven (HL7). Following standards can also help mitigate security breaches, as can technologies such as decentralized storage and multi-factor authentication.

Biometric systems can introduce long-term savings by reducing administrative errors, preventing insurance fraud and minimizing duplicate medical records. However, outpatient clinics are struggling to implement the technology due to costs, privacy concerns and workflow disruptions.

A solution can be a phased implementation approach, beginning with critical areas like medication dispensing or patient check-in. Additionally, healthcare providers should seek government funding or collaborate with technology vendors that offer flexible pricing models, the blog post concludes.

Voice and facial biometrics for hospitals

Voice biometrics company Auraya lays out its own reasons why biometrics and the healthcare sector go together. Authentication methods are prone to compromise because of forgotten and stolen PINs and passwords. They can also interrupt workflows and compromise the sterility of the environment.

“Voice biometrics offers a frictionless, hands-free authentication method that allows healthcare professionals to access electronic health records (EHRs), telehealth platforms, and administrative tools securely and efficiently,” Auraya CEO Paul Magee writes for industry publication Open Access Government.

Patients can also benefit from the technology since it is a secure and convenient way to authenticate their identity for telehealth appointments, he adds.

To fend off cybersecurity threats technology providers must ensure that their biometric solutions include anti-spoofing and deepfake detection technologies. Among key capabilities are real-time fraud detection which blocks suspicious interactions by detecting anomalies, adaptive voiceprints that continuously refine user voice profiles to enhance accuracy and ensuring consistent authentication across various channels such as phones, digital and in-person.

Technology company NEC has its own recipe for securing patient data, the NEC Digital ID which relies on facial biometrics.

Biometric systems used by healthcare institutions should only store encrypted biometric templates, they should be designed to meet specific needs of healthcare standards, and adhere to strict standards and regular audits, the company says in a blog post.

Article Topics

Amazon One  |  Auraya  |  biometric authentication  |  biometric identification  |  biometrics  |  face biometrics  |  healthcare  |  Imprivata  |  NEC America  |  patient identification  |  voice biometrics