So I'm an LPN, currently in school for RN. I work in a small hospital ER patient access, which means I register patients as they come in and help the ER nurses as it's needed. It's a really cool job.
Anyway, today I came into work and there's a small device that glows blue sitting on my desk, plugged into the computer. The girl I'm taking over for says "oh, that's the fingerprint scanner. We're not using them yet, but sometime next week we will."
Wait, what? We're going to fingerprint our patients?
It's been explained to me that it's to prevent identity theft. But according to the manufacturer's website (Crosschx is the company), they're used for preventing medical record errors.
Regardless of its supposed use, I can't see many people agreeing to be fingerprinted in the ER. And part of me feels that they shouldn't have to. I'm not entirely sure what exactly is done with the fingerprinting information once it's verified. I can only hope it's protected under HIPAA.
Has anyone else had this change in their hospital?
(Hopefully I'm in the correct forum. I apologize if I'm not.)
Well, voluntary sounds good, as an idea. But if it's voluntary, then what good will it do exactly?
Like, obviously, someone assuming a fake identity is going to refuse to provide a fingerprint.
And we're an ER, we can't refuse treatment. I have people come in with no insurance, no form of identification (which is basically a 100% guarantee that the hospital won't get paid) and we still treat. Which isn't a bad thing, necessarily, people shouldn't be denied emergency medical treatment due to inability to pay. But it's a problem for the hospital.
But I'm just not seeing the purpose of this technology.
Specializes in NICU, PICU, Transport, L&D, Hospice.
Well, voluntary sounds good, as an idea. But if it's voluntary, then what good will it do exactly?
Like, obviously, someone assuming a fake identity is going to refuse to provide a fingerprint.
And we're an ER, we can't refuse treatment. I have people come in with no insurance, no form of identification (which is basically a 100% guarantee that the hospital won't get paid) and we still treat. Which isn't a bad thing, necessarily, people shouldn't be denied emergency medical treatment due to inability to pay. But it's a problem for the hospital.
But I'm just not seeing the purpose of this technology.
Wow.
Now justify the cost of that technology in a time when hospitals believe that they cannot afford nurses in adequate numbers to provide excellent care for patients.
Specializes in Psych, Addictions, SOL (Student of Life).
eventually we will all just be chipped so we can be scanned into the system when we go to the doctor - my dog has a home again chip and she can be swiped by any vet in the country and they have instant access to her vaccination record and ownership info.
Don't confuse not wanting to pay nursing staff with not having an enormous budget to buy useless gadgets- hospitals cant seem to get enough of that junk.
Wow.
Now justify the cost of that technology in a time when hospitals believe that they cannot afford nurses in adequate numbers to provide excellent care for patients.
While medical facilities computer installations and data are always at risk from the activities of hackers, and have on occasion been targeted by hackers, I am not aware of a significant incidence of individuals assuming a false identity in order to receive medical care (in particular a false identity already used by the true owner of such identity who happens to be another patient). Can you provide such statistics?
Monica and Rachel did that on Friends, when one of them got hurt and claimed to be the other one for her insurance coverage. They wound up meeting two handsome ER docs (George Clooney and Noah Wiley) and were on a double date so they had to keep up the switched personas and told their embarrassing high school stories on each other. :) In real life, though, I'm sure it happens if someone comes in the ER with an insurance card but no ID, or has a CT scan done using an insurance card that has terminated and refuses to pay the bill. I had a relative take her young child to the ER and the bill was sent to the child instead of the parent, so my relative refused the bill because a minor can not be billed.
We will be seeing more and more biometric scanning as means of identification--fingerprint, palm print, hand measurements, retinal scans, facial scans; it's the next wave in ID technology--a card with your picture on it won't be enough. As identity theft becomes more of a problem, all businesses and services, including healthcare, need reliable ways to confirm identity; it's not your health information that needs to be verified (although that is a potential application of the same technology), it's your insurance and credit card information that the hospital is interested in.
Specializes in Medical-Surgical/Float Pool/Stepdown.
While medical facilities computer installations and data are always at risk from the activities of hackers, and have on occasion been targeted by hackers, I am not aware of a significant incidence of individuals assuming a false identity in order to receive medical care (in particular a false identity already used by the true owner of such identity who happens to be another patient). Can you provide such statistics?
Lindarn is right. There are probably not many statistics because it's a hard crime to prove with no support from healthcare or law enforcement to try and prove it!
I've been a victim or healthcare identity theft and all I have is my word and the bill that showed up on my credit report to prove it!
We were shopping one day and a creditor kept trying to call my phone so I answered and they were trying to collect on a hospital bill from two years prior from a city and state that I've never even stepped foot into.
After some digging with family members though, I found out that my sister-in-law (a black sheep in my husbands family) had at one time lived in this town. What we think happened was that my sister-in-law was running from the local police there (not in an active chase - but she tends to have several warrants against her at any given time) and was involved in a single car accident and was taken for emergency healthcare. She was worried about getting caught in the hospital and just gave them my name and pretended to be me. She has done similar things over the years to other people, has spent time in jail and the "pen" and is known by multiple alias's.
The healthcare center wouldn't give me any information and was not sympathetic to my issue. They just wanted the bill paid. The police station for that area told me all that I could do was physically come to the city (which is multiple states away) and try to come "in person" to talk to someone from the police/hospital.
They told me I pretty much just had to live with the bill because their is no true way to prove it wasn't me without spending a ton of money on lawyers because no real viable proof of identity is required when seeking healthcare, especially 10 years ago.
Think about it...other than the signature you give on your consent to treat, how does an ED or any other healthcare facility prove it's you when seeking healthcare? An actual picture ID is not required when requesting treatment at many places (I honestly don't know what ED, walk-in clinic, or PCP that requires it anyways!).
Specializes in ER/Tele, Med-Surg, Faculty, Urgent Care.
It happens, I used to work in ER and yes people "borrow" insurance cards. Had one incidence of 2 friends one with insurance who brought in the other's son to be treated. Ht/wts & allergies did not match as well as other info. That is why a current government issued ID is required at clinics to be seen.
In prior years, the two main types of patient identity theft were:
1. Someone uses another person's name or insurance information to get medical
treatment, prescription drugs or surgery.
2. Dishonest people working within a medical setting use another person's
information to submit false bills to insurance companies.
Add #3: Hackers infiltrating health facilities computer databases.
After Anthem Blue Cross cyperattack last year, our health system instituted multiple applications to prevent hackers gaining access to individuals medical records.
Health system started 3 years ago to take photo when you showed up at patient registration area and photo printed out on ID band.
Kaiser Health News
February 7, 2014
The Rise Of Medical Identity Theft In Healthcare
Last month, the Identity Theft Resource Center produced a survey showing that medical-related identity theft accounted for 43 percent of all identity thefts reported in the United States in 2013. That is a far greater chunk than identity thefts involving banking and finance, the government and the military, or education. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services says that since it started keeping records in 2009, the medical records of between 27.8 million and 67.7 million people have been breached.
The definition of medical identity theft is the fraudulent acquisition of someone's personal information – name, Social Security number, health insurance number – for the purpose of illegally obtaining medical services or devices, insurance reimbursements or prescription drugs....
The guide focuses on the unauthorized use of personal information in health care settings and, in particular, on the impact on medical records
Know Your Patient
Recommended practice:
Require patients to show a copy of their health insurance card (if not paying in cash) at registration.
Consider requiring a photo ID and training employees to check whether the photograph and descriptive details (such as race, gender, height, weight and hair and eye color) match the ID.
Whenever practical, embed a patient photo in the EHR or supplementary database.
Do not scan a government-issued ID, such as a driver's license and incorporate the scanned data into the medical record. Doing so would add unnecessary personal information to the record that increases the risks of identity theft.
Recommended practice:
If a patient requiring emergency care presents a questionable ID or no ID, the patient must generally be treated. Make sure there is a place in the intake record to note this and take further steps to validate the patient's identity.
One simple additional step could be to ask the patient which doctor they saw last.
Use Red Flagsâ€
Red flags at patient registration
•ID appears altered or forged.
•ID photo does not match the person presenting the ID.
•ID information (e.g., surname, physical characteristics, address) does not match information on file.
•Presentation of a Social Security card or number that duplicates one that is already part of another patient's registration record.
•Presentation of an insurance or Medi-Cal card that duplicates one that is already part of another patient's registration.
•Presentation of an insurance or Medi-Cal card with information in the benefit-eligbility checking process that doesn't match that of the person presenting the card.
•Duplicate demographics, such as another patient with the same name, address or telephone number already on record.
•The patient or someone accompanying the patient, states or intimates at any time during the encounter that the patient is using a false identity.
•The patient, law enforcement or a credit bureau notifies you that the patient is a victim of identity theft.
•Note any flag in a previously compromised record to ensure that the identity theft is not reactivated at a later date
sharkbacon
32 Posts
Well, voluntary sounds good, as an idea. But if it's voluntary, then what good will it do exactly?
Like, obviously, someone assuming a fake identity is going to refuse to provide a fingerprint.
And we're an ER, we can't refuse treatment. I have people come in with no insurance, no form of identification (which is basically a 100% guarantee that the hospital won't get paid) and we still treat. Which isn't a bad thing, necessarily, people shouldn't be denied emergency medical treatment due to inability to pay. But it's a problem for the hospital.
But I'm just not seeing the purpose of this technology.