Time for Smart Cards in U.S. Healthcare

Technology alone will not prevent medical identity theft. Patient and employee education is equally important. Organizations must also institute a zero tolerance policy when it comes to unauthorized access to paper or electronic medical records.

Heath care reform in the U.S. is a major undertaking and it will take time to achieve the levels of protection that have been outlined in this article. But the size of the task should not prevent the healthcare industry, both private and public, from beginning the journey towards securing health information and increasing the efficiency and quality of healthcare delivery. Authenticating identity and issuing proper identity credentials is a solid first step in modernizing the U.S. healthcare system. By taking this step, all parties have the opportunity to benefit from the increased efficiencies and built in protections provided by a strong identity credential.
 

 

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See also...

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About the author

Michael Magrath is Director of Business Development in the North American Government and Healthcare markets for Gemalto. He is also Secretary of the Smart Card Alliance’s Healthcare Council and serves on TechAmerica’s Health IT Committee.