One of the most innovative options in the healthcare sector is biometrics, which is responsible for preventing fraud and ensuring data integrity. In patient identification and authentication processes, this technology is highly beneficial to security while also giving patients the feeling of being valued and well cared for. However, one of the main concerns among healthcare managers is the time required for a biometric system to become fully operational.
In this article, you will understand the most common scenarios for using biometrics in healthcare and the main implementation steps. You will also learn how the technology enables faster and safer execution, along with the factors that influence the overall completion time.
Find out how!
Common healthcare biometric system scenarios
When it comes to biometrics applied to healthcare, it's not just about modernizing processes, but also about protection and prevention against various types of fraud. In this sense, accurate patient identification makes all the difference in the routines of institutions. One example is in medication administration. With biometric verification, it's possible to confirm the user's true identity, ensuring the delivery of the correct treatment and preventing drug mix-ups.
See more applications:
- Clinic reception: instead of presenting only an ID card for identification, the patient uses biometric recognition, speeding up check-in. This reduces lines and frustration while providing a smoother experience.
- Patient transitions across different units within the same network: when a patient is unwell or in an emergency situation, biometrics enables quick identification and access to their medical record without needing to repeat information at every unit.
- Retrieving lab reports: while errors in delivering test results can cause serious problems, biometric solutions guarantee access only to the correct information.
For these scenarios, one option is to rely on well-established technology in the market. Implementing a high-quality biometric system helps solve challenges such as secure authentication, fraud prevention, and service agility.
How long until the biometric system is implemented
The implementation time of a biometric system varies according to the institution’s infrastructure, internal procedures, and project scope. Other factors, such as developing entirely new solutions, also have a direct impact. After all, creating and integrating a biometric solution from scratch can take months or even years, in addition to requiring significant investment in specialists and infrastructure teams. When everything is built from the ground up, the chances of errors and instability increase.
An alternative to shorten the timeline is to consider robust biometric providers. In this case, ready-to-use technologies offer resources through APIs and are already compliant with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), enabling faster execution.
In the end, to obtain a realistic estimate, the institution must evaluate which elements directly affect the total implementation time. Among them, five stand out:
- Plan size: in institutions with a large volume of data and multiple points of use such as pharmacies, kiosks and patient portals, the plan tends to be structured in a more robust way. In smaller scenarios, the sizing is adjusted according to the need while maintaining the same standard integration in all cases.
- Patient and unit volume: in larger networks or hospitals with multiple units, the total time may increase due to the need for additional testing and validations.
- Complexity of existing systems: integration with electronic medical records (EMRs), pharmacy systems, laboratories and other hospital software may require additional adjustments.
- Team availability: having an internal or outsourced team with dedicated hours to follow testing and approve each stage helps keep the project moving at the right pace.
- Training duration: all professionals need to understand how to operate the technology, including physicians, nurses and reception staff. The sooner the team becomes familiar with how the solution works, the faster it will be used in daily routines.
In the healthcare field, facial recognition and fingerprint solutions with extensive experience enable adoption without requiring significant effort. BioPass ID, for example, is a complete platform designed to support hospitals, large networks, and smaller clinics and laboratories. Another advantage of adopting it is the fact that no dedicated team or in-house infrastructure is necessary, since the tool provides clear documentation and specialized technical support to ensure a smooth integration.
Main stages of biometric implementation
From a single-point application to a full connection across different systems within the organization, the process must be transparent, structured and carried out in partnership with the chosen provider. Below, see the details of the BioPass ID process:
Stage 1 - Alignment and planning
In this phase, a meeting is held to understand the institution’s goals and challenges. The BioPass ID specialist identifies points with greater delays and fraud risk and conducts the mapping for biometric implementation.
Stage 2 - Integration and development
After the platform is contracted, the company’s technology team receives access to the API, along with detailed documentation and full support. The integration is simple, and the entire operation takes place digitally, requiring only a camera from a mobile device or kiosk.
Stage 3 - Testing and approval
Before completing the implementation, the BioPass ID Customer Success team, together with the healthcare institution, performs a trial in a controlled environment. The proper functioning of the communication between the institution’s other systems is also verified.
Stage 4 - Go Live and continuous support
This is the final stage of the process. At this point, the solution is released for use, operating permanently and being accessible to all users. Continuous support ensures efficient functioning of the biometric operation without interruptions.
More efficient healthcare processes in just a few weeks
In this article, we presented how biometric systems are implemented in healthcare and the time required to integrate this technological resource. We also highlighted how the technology improves processes and enhances the patient experience. Finally, we covered the implementation stages, from planning and alignment to Go Live with continuous support.
A modern biometric solution is BioPass ID, which provides institutions with greater security, faster processes and reliable patient identification.
In addition, because it is cloud-based, the platform offers reliable facial recognition and fingerprint APIs. Discover all the benefits of the solution by consulting one of our specialists or purchase the tool directly here.
