Launched just nine months ago, more than 125,000 patients at NYU Langone Medical Center are now using PatientSecure™, a cutting-edge biometric identification system. PatientSecure enhances the security of electronic health records (EHR) by quickly and accurately "linking" the right record to the right patient at check-in and registration. The technology works in conjunction with NYU Langone Medical Center's integrated EHR system, Epic, providing a single platform from which physicians, staff and patients themselves can access and manage medical information.
"PatientSecure makes checking in for appointments faster and easier, and enhances patient security by minimizing the margin of error that can exist with completely computerized health records," said Bernard A. Birnbaum, MD, senior vice president and vice dean, chief of hospital operations at NYU Langone Medical Center. "After only nine months, patients and physicians are embracing the system."
PatientSecure eliminates the need for patients to provide identification, such as a driver's license or Social Security number, every time they have an appointment at the medical center. Rather, a patient simply places his or her hand on a small black box and their unique identifying palm portrait automatically accesses their individual medical record.
According to Dr. Birnbaum, because patients access care from different providers at different locations across the medical center, PatientSecure acts like a security check-point at each point of care. "Whether a patient comes in for a physician office visit, outpatient testing or for surgery, they can be confident that their specific record will be accessed each time they check in using this system," he said.
"My patients love PatientSecure because it makes registration quick and easy, and they only need to fill out one set of forms on their first visit to the office," said Nieca Goldberg, MD, clinical associate professor of cardiology and medical director of the Joan H. Tisch Center for Women's Health at NYU Langone Medical Center.
According to Dr. Goldberg's patient Jennifer E., "At first I was a little apprehensive about registering for PatientSecure, but after hearing the benefits of doing so from the staff at my doctor's office that I trust, and once I understood how quick and easy it was, I registered right away. Knowing that my information is now secure helped alleviate my initial concern and made me feel safe. It is something really unique."
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