Biometric Identification System Deployed At George Washington University Medical Faculty Associates
BIO-key International Inc. recently announced the successful deployment of its biometric identification solution protecting patient medical records at The George Washington University Medical Faculty Associates (MFA) in Washington, D.C.
The 300-physician multi-specialty practice is affiliated with, and is the primary teaching practice of, the George Washington University School of Medicine. BIO-key's VST software enables MFA physicians and resident physicians-in-training to quickly and accurately log into their TouchWorks Electronic Health Record (EHR) from Allscripts without the need to remember passwords. Doctors currently use BIO-key to establish their identity when they sign in to the EHR in order to process many daily functions such as documenting patient visits, prescribing medications, ordering lab tests and viewing the results.
"Fingerprint identification guarantees that each patient's private medical information remains private, because while passwords can be shared, a doctor's fingerprint cannot," said Praveen Toteja, CIO for MFA. "Our physicians are focused on patient care and they complain about the inconvenience of constantly resetting and remembering passwords. Using their finger to access information in Allscripts is not only considerably more convenient but also more secure than passwords, allowing us to ensure that only authorized staff can access patient records."
Current practice at MFA requires that all physicians, residents and other authorized clinical staff simply place their finger onto a fingerprint reader in order to gain access to the EHR at computer workstations located throughout the medical facility. BIO-key's software immediately reads the fingerprint and matches it against a database of authorized users' fingerprints. Only when the match is successful can the clinician then gain access to the EHR. The entire process takes no longer than typing in a password but is more secure.
Allscripts and BIO-key have already begun deploying the technology to other users of the company's EHR solutions.
"BIO-key not only enhances the security of our Electronic Health Record but it delivers superior accuracy and works with every major fingerprint reader," said Glen Tullman, CEO of Allscripts. "By embedding fingerprint biometrics in our solutions, we're fulfilling our promise to provide the highest possible level of security for patient records, while also making it as convenient as possible for our physicians to use."
TouchWorks provides instant access to critical patient information when and where it's needed, while connecting physicians electronically to laboratories, pharmacies, insurers and other key healthcare stakeholders. The Allscripts solution also automatically tracks key patient outcomes, providing information to improve the effectiveness of disease management, health maintenance, and care planning initiatives, and enabling physician practices to take part in pay-for-quality initiatives where the focus is overall health of patient populations.
"The adoption of BIO-key's biometric authentication by our partner, Allscripts, and an internationally recognized academic medical group is further proof that biometrics is quickly becoming a mainstream authentication alternative," said Mike DePasquale, CEO of BIO-key International. "We are optimistic and excited by the potential of this special and growing relationship we have with Allscripts and look forward to expanding it further. Whether the need is to deliver a more secure, convenient form of user authentication or to comply with regulations such as HIPAA, BIO-key offers solution providers and integrators a full suite of user authentication solutions."