Fujitsu PalmSecure™ Integrated Into Carolinas HealthCare System Patient Registration Program

Fujitsu Computer Products of America, Inc., one of the world’s leading suppliers of innovative computer products including hard disk drives, peripherals, and biometric security solutions, today announced that the Fujitsu PalmSecure™ biometric authentication sensor is being deployed throughout the Carolinas HealthCare System (CHS) Charlotte-area hospitals as a part of a solution to effectively register patient’s information, and protect their medical record and identity. As the largest healthcare system in the Carolinas, and the third largest public system in the nation, CHS expects to install these biometric sensors in all patient registration sites in their Charlotte-area hospitals.

CHS, working with long-term software development partner, HT Systems, created a critical software interface between the PalmSecure biometric data record and their existing electronic medical record (EMR) system. In addtion, CHS developed a unique handguide for the sensor that is adapted perfectly for their environment by incorporating a pediatric plate that adapts the guide for use with young children, and can accommodate CHS’s entire patient population.

CHS was initially searching for a non-invasive, secure solution to the problem of protecting patient’s medical records and privacy, as well as making the registration process as efficient as possible. After a careful consideration of a number of biometric options, CHS chose Fujitsu PalmSecure for its high level of accuracy and non-intrusive user interface. CHS immediately began a pilot program in several of its major hospitals, including Carolinas Medical Center, Mercy, Carolinas Medical Center-Pineville, and Carolinas Medical Center-University. During the pilot period, the patient registration process was significantly improved allowing patients to receive care as quickly as possible. As a result, Fujitsu PalmSecure was accepted as the de facto technology for managing patient’s identity across all of CHS’ hospitals. The deployment is expected to be complete by the end of 2007.

“After evaluating several technologies for patient authentication, we chose the highly-accurate palm vein scanner because of the technology’s positive performance in our testing, and its great track record,” said Jim Burke, director of CHS’ Information Services department. “Furthermore, because the biometric sensor creates a unique identifier for each scanned palm, it does not require the storage or use of an actual image or picture. This technology really reduces the chance of identity reproduction or theft.”

The Fujitsu PalmSecure uses a near infrared light to capture the vein pattern in a patient’s palm, providing a highly reliable and accurate form of authentication. Utilizing the latest in biometric security technology, the biometric sensor converts the palm vein image into a digital record that is associated with a patient’s medical records. The combined technology from Fujitsu and Carolinas HealthCare Systems protects patients from identity theft and insurance fraud, and ensures that the proper medical care is given to the right person.

The solution developed by CHS and its partner, HT Systems, runs on a Windows based 64-bit platform, using cutting-edge technology to ensure a quick registration process. With information running redundantly on two servers, the system maintains its high-availability even in the event of server down time. Since the digital record created from the PalmSecure is directly linked to the patient’s electronic medical record, their information is automatically populated in the patient registration screen. The technology is also scalable across the entire network and can ensure the elimination of duplicate patient files, reducing multiple patient files to one record per patient, thereby ensuring identification accuracy and quicker registration time.

“Carolinas HealthCare has taken a progressive approach to adapt PalmSecure to their needs,” said Joel Hagberg, vice president, marketing and business development, Fujitsu Computer Products of America, Inc. “By incorporating Fujitsu PalmSecure to their patient registration/identification system, CHS has streamlined the registration process while protecting their patient’s safety and privacy. CHS’s vision of the solution and their execution of the vision, makes them an ideal partner for Fujitsu.”