Biometrics Closer to Broader Healthcare Acceptance

With the news earlier this month that Bioscrypt, a provider of identity verification technology, has tapped the UPEK TouchChip TCS1 fingerprint sensor for its new biometric physical access control readers, the issue of broader biometrics usage in healthcare IT is on the agenda again, experts say.

For starters, clinical trials may benefit from biometrics incorporation, suggested Dana Marohn, IBG consultant on biometrics in healthcare. “I believe that biometrics can aid clinical trials by authenticating participants at a study site,” she told PIR. Participants’ biometrics could also be linked to their personal information and medical data, which would provide for a more streamlined process of medical records management.

Access control is an important area of compliance for FDA-regulated companies, and biometrics has been touted by some as an effective solution to help address it.

Critics have challenged its expense, and there have been a few high-profile situations where people have fooled biometric solutions and accessed systems. But biometric advocates point out that biometrics is only designed to be part of a broader security effort.

Biometric Certification

IBG recently certified the performance of biometric products from Hitachi, Fujitsu and IrisGuard, Director of Special Projects Michael Thieme said at an audioconference Oct. 12.

IBG’s Biometric Performance Certification (BPC) is the only program that certifies the performance of end-to-end biometric systems, including capture hardware and matching software, according to the company.

It has already certified five biometric products for applications such as access control, border management, network security and point of sale.

For more information on IBG’s BPC program or other initiatives that rate various biometric tools and practices, go to www.biometricgroup.com. — Michael Causey