RightPatient announced that Augusta, GA based University Health Care System has implemented RightPatient to improve patient safety, data integrity, and revenue cycle management by preventing duplicate medical records, fraud, and patient identification errors. University Health carefully evaluated several different biometric patient identification technologies before deciding to deploy Photo Biometrics with RightPatient, the most accurate, hygienic, and versatile solution available. University Health was pleased with the seamless integration of RightPatient into their Epic workflows and the unique ability to minimize potential patient registration errors. University patients have welcomed the use of RightPatient to protect their medical identities, with over 99% choosing to enroll. So far, nearly 50,000 patients have enrolled in the system.

Streamlining patient registration and improving the patient experience was also important to University officials. Using RightPatient, patients simply take their picture and the platform identifies them, retrieves the correct medical record within Epic, and displays the patient photo for two-factor authentication. Seamless integration of RightPatient into Epic’s registration system along with an extremely user –friendly interface and a comprehensive analytics platform sealed University’s decision to implement RightPatient with Photo Biometrics.

“We implemented RightPatient because photo biometrics is more accurate than fingerprinting or vein mapping and we liked the fact that patients did not have to touch a device to be identified, ensuring a safe, hygienic environment that supports hospital infection control,” said George Ann Phillips, Director of Revenue Cycle Management for University Health. “RightPatient adds an important layer of protection over Epic EHR data integrity and patients feel very confident that we are taking the right steps to protect their medical identities and ensure a safe care environment.”

Since implementing RightPatient, University Health has seen a nearly 30% decline in chart corrections among other benefits. The platform is also eliminating write-offs associated with patient fraud.

“In one case, a patient had been using different aliases in the ED to obtain prescription medications,” Phillips noted. “RightPatient was able to immediately detect that this patient had previously enrolled under a different identity. We quickly notified on-site authorities who took the appropriate action.”

“We are grateful for the opportunity to enable the University Health team to implement RightPatient to increase patient identification accuracy, prevent duplicate medical records, and heighten patient safety,” commented Michael Trader, Co-founder and President of RightPatient. “Patient misidentification in healthcare can lead to incorrect medication distribution, duplicate diagnostic tests, and adverse health effects, jeopardizing patient safety and adding unnecessary costs. In addition, RightPatient protects patients from identity theft, which severely affects quality of care and healthcare costs.”