Radio frequency identification technology is gaining momentum in the health care industry despite concerns that it will jeopardize patient privacy, TechnologyDaily reports.
Trinitas Hospital in Elizabeth, N.J., recently became the sixth hospital in the state to start using VeriChip's VeriMed microchip, and VeriChip spokesperson John Procter said at least 20 hospitals will incorporate the RFID technology by next year. Once implemented, each facility will be able to scan microchips located in patients' arms to gain access to personal information, including medical histories. Patient participation in the programs is voluntary, TechnologyDaily reports.
In addition to use in patients, a report released this month by Spyglass Consulting Group found that 10% of the 100 health care organizations surveyed currently use RFID tags to track equipment, and nearly half said they expect to implement RFID technology in the next year. The report said that in the next 18 months, the RFID adoption will increase 128%.
The American Civil Liberties Union and the Electronic Frontier Foundation have expressed concerns about RFID technology. Christopher Calabrese, council for the ACLU's technology liberty program, said "Our first concern is with consent." He added, "We don't want patients - neither do we think patients want - to broadcast personal information to anyone with an RFID reader."
Meanwhile, Dr. William Braithwaite, senior vice president of the eHealth Initiative, said the chips will be useless if all hospitals cannot afford RFID scanning technology (Cadavid, TechnologyDaily, 8/24).