INTEGRIS Uses Biometric Scan to Access Medical Records

One hospital in the metro is putting your health care in the palm of your hand.  INTEGRIS Health is the first hospital system in Oklahoma to use biometrics palm scanning to identify patients and access medical records. Its a system called PatientSecure.  The program is only available at INTEGRIS Canadian Valley Hospital in Yukon, but should be rolled out to each INTEGRIS hospital in four to six months.

"We want to become more advanced in this technology mostly for patient security," Mitzi McCullock, INTEGRIS Administrative Director said.

PatientSecure is designed to prevent identity theft. The process will eliminate having to give social security numbers and other personal information aloud.

Vein patterns in palms are 100 times more unique than finger prints, INTEGRIS said, so they cannot be confused with others.

"One of the things that our hospitals across the system struggles with on a daily basis is patients who come in with the same name, first and last name, and even the same date of birth, so having PatientSecure will help us better ensure ourselves as well as you that you are who you say you are," McCullock said.

Palm scan allows patients' information to be accessed in an emergency situation, where a patient is not able to respond to questioning, INTEGRIS said.

"Anytime we're looking at biometric data and the amount of information that it contains, we're always concerned about privacy," said executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Oklahoma , Ryan Kiesel.

Kiesel said questions about invasion of privacy do no apply to this situation because INTEGRIS is a private business.  He said their should be no legal problems with this new process, so long as the information is kept secure.  INTEGRIS said that should not be a problem.

"PatientSecure is almost infallible," McCullock said.

So far, INTEGRIS said patients do not seem to mind this new technology.

"You never know when you're installing new technology how a patient is going to react. But here at INTEGRIS Canadian Valley Hospital the patients have been more intrigued more than anything," McCullock said.INTEGRIS Uses Biometric Scan to Access Medical Records

Posted: Friday, September 21 2012, 09:43 PM CDT