Becker's Hospital Review

65 Executive Briefing Health System, says the Imprivata PatientSecure solution has yielded similarly positive results at Harris. "The scanners, com- bined with all-digital medical records, have not only diminished the risk of mixing up patient charts, but they have also reduced the time it takes for patients to check in, the number of dupli- cate medical records created and fraud involving insurance and charity care. The impact has been lower fraud and abuse. Our duplicate records have plummeted to near zero." Patient experience Patient identification errors can lead to unnecessary repeated tests, longer wait times and incorrect or ambiguous diagnostic information that result in patient dissatisfaction and an increased cost of care. Douglas Burket, senior systems analyst for Baton Rouge General Health System, says palm vein identification contributes to patient and staff satisfaction by streamlining the registration process for intermittent and reg- ular patients. Palm vein biometrics outperform other types of biometric identification, such as fingerprint and retinal, in both usability and accuracy. Because vein patterns in the human palm are unique to each individual, palm vein identification can make the regis- tration process less intrusive and more secure. The technology requires only a palm scan and a birth date for identification, eliminating the need for patients to provide verbally sensitive information, such as a Social Security Number or address upon registration. This decreases concerns about fraud and allows for greater patient security and satisfaction. Mr. Burket leads a hospital task force that works to reduce and remediate the number of duplicate medical records within Baton Rouge General Health System. He's seen the number of attempts of medical identity fraud decrease since the imple- mentation of Imprivata PatientSecure. "People think of medical fraud as a victimless crime, but it's not," says Mr. Burket. "It drives up the cost of care and the risk of medical errors. With the implementation of PatientSecure, we're found that patients looking to commit fraud tend to go elsewhere." Jim Scwamb, retired vice president of patient financial services for Clearwater, Fla.- based BayCare Health Systems saw the need to implement a platform like PatientSecure to streamline the system's registration process. Prior to the imple- mentation, he acted as the point person for patients who were concerned about giving their Social Security numbers and oth- er personal information every time they came to the hospital. Most all of the patients at BayCare who were concerned about giving their private information were worried about medical identity theft. After the PatientSecure biometric scan was imple- mented, those fears were completely alleviated. "We had near perfect adoption by the patients," Mr. Schwamb says. "Feedback was extremely positive. Patients felt that we were protecting their privacy, and, on the clinical side, we saw the number of duplicate records drop very quickly and overlaid records were eliminated." Interoperability Patient registration and check in processes often involve complex interactions with a suite of different healthcare tech- nology systems. These technologies can include EMR; enter- prise master patient indices; admission, discharge and transfer systems; and other health information systems. Oftentimes, these different systems do not integrate well together, and do not accurately match patients with their correct medical records across various record-keeping platforms. "The Imprivata PatientSecure solution is system agnostic — conveniently embedded in the hospital information system's workflow through integration with existing systems. It's de- signed specifically to integrate into providers' current workflow for care," Mr. Wiener says. For hospitals that may acquire facili- ties, practices or clinics that use different systems, this solution spans the gaps between software. So far, Baton Rouge General Health System has approxi- mately 60,000 enrolled patients, according to Mr. Burket. The full-service community hospital is comprised of 590 licensed beds between two campuses. "PatientSecure works across computer systems and helps streamline patient care, no matter what procedure they're getting or which facility in our organiza- tion they're receiving care from." A single solution In an industry where consumers' health information is managed electronically and must be tracked throughout the care continuum, a positive patient identification solution offers a stable, unique patient identifier that allows healthcare pro- viders to operate above technological barriers and expedite quality care. Imprivata's PatientSecure patient identity management platform gives patients a trusted, safe option that eases the registration process, keeps their private information secure and — above all — keeps them safe. It enables providers to offer more efficient care and conserve resources by better tracking patient information inside their system, while exchanging the right information to coordinate care outside of their systems. Most importantly, as duplicate records and overlays within providers' health information systems are mitigated through proper identification and accurate retrieval of the patient record, Imprivata PatientSecure fosters increased patient safety and satisfaction.n Sponsored by: Imprivata (NYSE: IMPR), the healthcare IT security company, is a leading provider of authentication, access management, secure communications, and patient identification solutions for the healthcare industry. Imprivata products address compli- ance and security challenges while improving provider productivity and the patient experience.

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