Fingerprints Instead of Computer Passwords?

Do you ever have trouble remembering your computer password at work? Imagine how annoying logging onto computers with different user names and passwords at three or four different locations during the day could be. Many doctors in the Texas Medical Center have privileges at several different hospitals or institutions and have to remember computer passwords for each of them.

To address this problem, St. Luke's Episcopal Hospital is testing new technology that allows doctors to log onto laptop and desktop computers by using their fingerprints as passwords. St. Luke's is the first hospital in the Texas Medical Center to test such a product.

"We're hoping that this will provide quicker and easier access to patient records while maintaining our tight security standards," said Kay Carr, senior vice president and chief information officer at St. Luke's. "This new technology is part of a broader initiative within St. Luke's to move toward digitizing our patient records and clinical operations."

The scanner, which employs software from BioNetrix and hardware from Veridicom, uses a computer chip finger sensor that creates an electronically scanned image of the ridges and valleys of the fingerprint. The program converts this image to a binary form, a series of ones and zeroes, that uniquely identifies the individual. The fingerprint itself is not saved.

With this system, a doctor swipes his or her identification badge through a bar code reader, then presses his or her finger on the finger scanner's sensor. In less than two seconds, the program verifies the doctor's identity. The doctor can then access patient records on wireless laptops or desktop PCs while making patient visits.

St. Luke's has installed 32 scanners and authorized 30 doctors to test the system. In the past, physicians would have typed in their user names and passwords, which took between eight and 14 seconds-if there were no mistakes or typos. Doctors often have multiple passwords to remember and most medical institutions require frequent password changes as a security precaution.

"We're very pleased with how this system is working," said Dr. William Granberry, an orthopedic surgeon at St. Luke's and chairman of the Clinical Information Management Advisory Committee. "If we continue to get positive feedback from the doctors who are testing the digital scanners, St. Luke's may eventually install them throughout the hospital."

Gene Gretzer, senior network analyst at St. Luke's, said the hospital chose this system because of its speed and ease of installation.

"Verification with this system is so quick," Gretzer said. "And it's very easy to use. Even if doctors misplace their fingers on the scanner by putting them off-center, the scanner will tell them which way to reposition them."

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©2006 Texas Medical Center

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