Key Source International Fingerprint Recognition Software “Goes Live” for Columbus Children’s Hospital
Key Source International's EzBio™ Fingerprint Recognition Software “Goes Live” for Columbus Children’s Hospital E-Prescriptions and Medical Record Access
(Oakland, Calif.) – Today Key Source International’s EzBio™ fingerprint recognition software and eTrust Single Sign-On by CA (NYSE: CA) began being used by Columbus Children’s Hospital to authenticate electronic prescriptions and improve medical record security.
On Aug. 15 the Ohio State Board of Pharmacy approved the combination of KSI biometric strong authentication program EzBio™ and CA’s eTrust Single Sign-On software for electronically identifying healthcare professionals. Biometrics refers to technologies which identify individuals based on biological traits, such as retinal or iris scanning, fingerprinting or face recognition technology. Lynette Larkins, director of information assurance for the hospital, called today’s “Go Live” event “a huge success.”
“[It’s] another major milestone with this first department being up and live on the system and everyone able to log in,” Larkins stated.
“I can officially say that we've gotten off to a terrific start,” said emergency room doctor Jeff Hoffman, referring to the new electronic medical record system with accompanying software.
EzBio™ fingerprint recognition software and the accompanying specialized keyboards with fingerprint scanners, both produced by KSI, have been approved for deployment in the Columbus Children’s Hospital system’s emergency departments and urgent care facilities. Over 100 years old, CCH occupies more than six square city blocks and was highly ranked on the U.S. News & World Report's 17th annual America's Best Hospitals list in 2006. CCH physicians can now execute electronic prescriptions and access medical records with the swipe of a finger.
As the federal government’s Medical Modernization Act (MMA) compels the health care industry to standardize functions such as electronic prescription, medical institutions are upgrading their technology. Simultaneously, the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) requires the establishment of national standards for electronic health care transactions and addresses the security and privacy of health data. These acts, taken together, mean that health care providers will be increasingly relying on computers for transactions, and that standards for health worker identification methods will become increasingly strict.
Physical and logical system access for healthcare workers typically requires a username and password. However, a single password is now insufficient for the “positive identification” required of individuals prescribing, administering or dispensing dangerous drugs, according to the Ohio State Board of Pharmacy, known for maintaining some of the strictest national standards in healthcare. The board’s executive director, William T. Winsley, called passwords “worthless as a means of computer security in a healthcare setting.” The Ohio State Board of Pharmacy has approved only a select group of identification methods as secure.
Of the approved identification methods, biometrics is the obvious choice. Biometrics refers to technology which identifies individuals based on biological traits, such as retinal or iris scanning, fingerprinting or face recognition technology. Manual signatures on hard copy records or prescription printouts are approved, yet paper records are inefficient and easily compromised. The remaining methods, board-approved systems of randomly generated personal questions and electronic readers of magnetic cards, proximity badges and bar codes, require private personal identifiers such as passwords. Passwords are not secure and are often forgotten.
When healthcare providers use the fingerprint scanners built into keyboards by Key Source International, a quick swipe of the finger provides a digital signature logging the physician in. Such efficiency is invaluable in the fast-paced world of urgent care departments. Further, fingerprints are forms of identification which cannot be simulated or duplicated.
Ca’s eTrust Single Sign-On provides full-featured single sign-on across extended enterprises, allowing organizations to manage roaming sessions, control access to shared workstations and reduce costs by minimizing calls to the help desk for forgotten passwords.
Key Source International is the worldwide leader in design, development and manufacture of custom keyboards featuring integrated biometrics, point of sale technology, programmability, smart card and RFID technologies.
Fast and easy, KSI keyboards’ fingerprint scanners and EzBio™ strong authentication coupled with CA’s eTrust Single Sign-On offer an unparalleled combination of security and efficiency for the healthcare industry, governmental organizations and corporate enterprises.
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References:
Key Source International: www.ksikeyboards.com
EzBio: www.ezbioclient.com
CA: www.ca.com
Columbus Children’s Hospital: www.columbuschildrens.org
PowerPoint Presentation by William T. Winsley
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