biometrics & security in health care

Positive identification of donors and patients by means of acceptable documents of identification is required before a blood donation can be accepted or a patient is treated. Examples of acceptable documents of identifications are donor or patient card, driver's license, social security card, security tags (with donor's photo and name), passport, birth certificate etc. Each of these documents comes with inherent risks of false identification resulting in many serious consequences. The use of social security numbers (SSN) has resulted in devastating identity thefts as well. Recent regulations in many states impose strict rules and punishments including jail terms on custodians of personal information such as the CEOs and CIOs when personal information like social security numbers of donors or customers are compromised. The risks and costs associated with loss of personal information is fast growing.