This fall, Columbus Community Hospital will be introducing a biometric patient identification system developed by PatientSecure. The palm vein recognition solution will ensure correct medical records are used for each patient and speed up the registration process, according to a report by ColumbusTelegram.com.

Using palm vein recognition to identify patients, the PatientSecure scanner’s infrared light scans the veins in an individual’s hand.

These vein patterns are unique to each individual, never change over an entire lifespan and are considered more accurate than fingerprint recognition.

“PatientSecure is a safe, simple and fast process,” said Bernie Hergott, director of registration and patient accounts at the hospital. “The short infrared light used in this technology is similar to the infrared beam found in your television’s remote control.”

The scanner, which will be offered as an option to patients, works when individuals position their right hand on a small black box framing the scanner.

Within seconds, the scanner is able to read the patient’s vein pattern. Once the patient’s veins are correctly read, the system retrieves the patient’s name and their corresponding medical record.

Hergott said the biometric identification system will accelerate the registration process, decrease the chance of medical identity theft, and reduce the frequency of duplicate medical records.

Perhaps one of the most important benefits of the palm scanner is that hospital staff will be able to quickly identify a person who arrives at emergency department either unconscious or unable to speak with no identification.