HIPAA & BIOMETRICS: A NATURAL FIT
As healthcare facilities, providers, insurers and business partners endeavor to deal with HIPPA statutory requirements, many organizations are realizing that their current policies and equipment are ill-equipped to deal with the depth and breadth of issues this sweeping legislation mandates.
Organizations looking to provide the most secure, uniquely identifiable end-user authentication while providing the best in patient and staff experience are looking to Biometrics for the solution.
Unlike other methods of authentication, Biometrics are nearly impossible to falsify.
Of all current biometric technologies, fingerprint data is the easiest and least invasive method of authentication.
Fingerprint identification has been used since the 1800’s for reliable verification of an individuals identity. Current technology takes a picture of the fingerprint characteristics and converts the image into “minutia” or data. This data is then compared against a known sample and is then either authenticated or rejected. The actual “fingerprint” is not stored, only the electronic interpretation of the data.
While fingerprint biometrics works well in most areas of the hospital (billing, patient admit, administration, nursing stations, etc..), in a clinical type of environment where latex gloves are required, fingerprint technology will not work.
Iris scanning is the newest and most cutting edge form of biometric technology that will integrate seamlessly into a clinical environment.
SOME FACTS TO SUPPORT THE IMPLEMENTATION OF BIOMETRICS:
The typical user spends as much as 44 hours per year performing multiple login tasks to access 4 applications (SOURCE: A 1996 study by the Network Applications Consortium)
Most users can’t remember more than 3 passwords, yet are expected to remember 6 or more (SOURCE: Hurwitz Group, 2000)
More than 30% of help desk costs are password related (SOURCE: Giga, Renee Woo, March 2001)
Password management costs between $200 and $300 per user each year (SOURCE: IDC)
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