BIO-key Biometric Streamlines US Hospitals Identity Management

BIO-key International, a provider of finger-based biometric identification solutions announced Genesis HealthCare System, based in Zanesville Ohio, has deployed BIO-key biometric identification for staff to establish their identity when ordering, verifying or administering medications as required by Ohio law.

"Our fingerprint identification software is approved by the Ohio Pharmacy Board for two-factor authentication and complies with the DEA e-prescription two-factor rules for dispensing controlled substances," said Mike DePasquale, CEO of BIO-key International.

In the initial rollout, 2,000 clinicians and staff use fingerprint biometrics to establish their identity in Genesis software to order, verify or administer medications. In the next phase of this project Genesis is implementing fingerprint biometric user logon with a single sign-on solution from Sentillion, a Microsoft company. With these solutions in place, Genesis staff members can establish their identity with the simple touch of a finger, giving them faster access to the systems they are authorized to use.

"BIO-key's ability to operate with every major fingerprint reader manufacturer allowed us to evaluate various readers to determine which would work best in our environment,” said Ed Romito, VP and CIO of Genesis Healthcare System.  “As a result of our testing, we determined that Lumidigm sensor provided us with the best performance. We have integrated BIO-key identification solution into our operation to comply with the Ohio Pharmacy Board for two-factor authentication."