Most likely, 2020 will be regarded as the year of COVID-19 in historical records. Furthermore, 2020 has highlighted and brought to the fore issues like identity theft and the limitations of the healthcare system. Hackers now find it simpler to pose as actual patients due to recent data breaches, the growth of identity theft, and the dark web. Know Your Patient is not a new concept, but technological advancements have made it more crucial than ever. Even so, seeking remote healthcare or buying medication online has become a common practice for millions of individuals worldwide.
Due to the size of recent data thefts and the growth of the dark web, fraudsters can now pose as real patients. All areas of healthcare must therefore thoroughly authenticate their patients to ensure that they are who they claim to be.
The Emergence of Know Your Patient in Today’s Healthcare System
Know Your Business and Know Your Customer are critical components of today’s financial regulatory framework for verifying the identity of its clients. This stops criminals from intentionally or unintentionally using banks for money laundering operations. It might be a good idea for the healthcare sector to start using Know Your Patient procedures right away. It is given the extent to which healthcare institutions are victims of fraud, such as insurance and prescription scams. The importance of making sure patients are of legal age before receiving certain treatments and medications can protect minors from suffering health problems.
There are an increasing number of ways in which medical centers can use online identity verification to improve the efficiency and quality of patient care. It also makes sure that laboratories, hospitals, and pharmacies provide sensitive medical information, prescriptions, and test results to the correct patient and not an imposter.
5 Top Applications of Online Patient Verification
The improvement of health care delivery through the use of biometric-based authentication and digital identity proofing technologies has enormous potential. It addresses the following five growing and most common use cases:
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Online Prescriptions
The regulations requiring online pharmacies to confirm patient identity before issuing a prescription are getting stricter. For instance, the General Pharmaceutical Council released new guidelines that mandate ID verification for pharmacies in the United Kingdom.
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Patient Age Verification
The Royal Pharmaceutical Society suggests this in light of the apparent lack of any age restrictions on children obtaining prescription medications. The pharmacist will decide if the child is capable and able to understand the significance of the medications they are gathering. Additionally, they are sure the child won’t abuse or tamper with the medication. Online pharmacies replace an in-person consultation with a simpler process. It entails filling out an electronic form and having it approved by the pharmacist.
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Data Capture Automation During Patient Admission
Manual patient verification is still a time-consuming process. Hospitals can make implementing procedures more efficient by streamlining the processes. It lessens the chance of human error, which expedites the processing of insurance claims that are denied. Medicare institutes can use a patient’s insurance card or an ID card to scan their information from them. Everyone involved benefits from the time savings, especially the patient and the staff.
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Detection of Insurance Fraud
Patients suffer financial repercussions whenever hackers steal their identity or sensitive information. The industry has to deal with false claims and any related legal expenses. A cyber attacker can use anyone’s identity or health insurance ID to visit a doctor. They can also make insurance claims, buy prescription medications, or gain access to other services. Intermingling the victim’s health information with the thief’s health information could have an impact on the victim’s credit history, insurance, and payment data. So, it has become necessary for health service providers to use an AI-powered patient verification system.
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Reputation Management
Compromised patient information can hurt the health service’s image. Hospitals and other practices can ensure that each record is accurate and current by using the ability to verify patient identity. Additionally, it gives them comfort in knowing that no malicious hackers or scammers are using their patient data. The success of the healthcare business depends on a standardized, efficient flow of patient information that incorporates identification protections.
Conclusion
The medical community must start implementing Know Your Patient regulations. However, regulators are thinking about amending an existing law on consumer data security and privacy. They are taking this action in order to address the issues brought on by attacks on the healthcare sector. These actions are critical to defending their legitimate patients, businesses, and well-deserved reputation.
