Plastic access cards, key fobs, and passwords have proven their vulnerability – over the years of their use, many cases of theft, counterfeiting, and fraud have been recorded. Having entered the security market, biometric technologies have surpassed all of these technologies both in providing personal protection and in terms of improving the efficiency of identification and verification in various sectors.
Biometric identifiers have an unrivaled advantage – they are inextricably linked with their carrier. They cannot be separated or lost and are very difficult to counterfeit. With the rapid development of biometric technology, new doors are opening up in many industries, allowing users to maximize their benefits. And, the health sector is one such example. According to the research group’s report, healthcare is one of the most promising industries for biometrics, which will generate $ 3.5 billion in revenue by 2024.
Biometric technology can dramatically improve the efficiency of the healthcare industry and prevent fraud and theft. It can potentially replace wristbands and barcodes that are used as patient identifiers to reduce the likelihood of fraud in countries where health insurance is widespread. Biometric identification tools can be used instead of paper insurance cards. And this solution will help prevent identity theft to obtain insurance benefits. Besides, it improves the efficiency of emergency medical personnel – for example, when the patient cannot speak. Biometric IDs allow the doctor to check the patient’s medical record.
In addition to countering fraud in the healthcare industry, with an adequate biometric identification system, health professionals can establish a fundamental link between a patient and their records. This in turn can limit or eliminate useless record duplication, streamline operations, and other benefits such as the following:
Benefits of using biometrics in the healthcare sector
Optimizes time
This is one of the most significant benefits that biometrics can provide as an authentication method. Instead of a patient filling out forms and presenting their identification at the box office, they just need to put their finger on a reader and thus solve the entire process of their access to services.
On the other hand, it contributes to the comfort of patients, as it is a convenient resource in procedures with the elderly population, who for different reasons, find it more challenging to complete admission records. With the correct resources, the authentication process can be done through fingerprint reading regardless of the deterioration that the patient may have on the skin.
Provides greater quality healthcare
With biometric identification, now it is possible to unify clinical data by eliminating duplication of medical records. It also improves the accuracy of the clinical record, while improving the quality of the health information system and, above all, it avoids incorrect treatments. All this, in turn, contributes considerably to the better provision and quality of health services.
Reduces health expenditure
With the adoption of biometrics and the change in identification processes, both for patients and staff, the first signs of a reduction in healthcare costs appear. The cost of maintaining the old and ineffective system to correctly identify patients is eliminated since a biometric system does not entail management costs due to loss and forgetfulness of credentials. This new procedures generate less physical documentation (without papers), and it is possible to improve document management. Thus, it considerably reduces health fraud and the associated costs.
Conclusion
As the healthcare sector continues to evolve, it is only fair to expect the addition of additional biometric data, especially now that facial recognition is starting to emerge as another key modality on consumer devices. It is also reasonable to expect that more standards bodies involved in the medical sector will focus on how biometric technologies can be incorporated into existing frameworks to make care less expensive and more effective.
All of this will be good for patients, who will benefit from reliable and non-intrusive identification when arriving at health centers, even in situations where they cannot identify themselves.