North Raleigh Today

Starting next week, patients at NYU Langone Health facilities will have the option to use Amazon One for identity verification during check-in. This contactless service employs a palm scan to authenticate identity securely and swiftly. The initiative is part of NYU Langone's efforts to enhance patient experiences while ensuring privacy and security.

Nader Mherabi, executive vice president and vice dean, chief digital and information officer at NYU Langone, stated, "One of NYU Langone’s goals is to leverage cutting-edge technology to enhance the patient experience. We make all decisions with our patients in mind first and foremost, and we’re always looking for ways to improve their experience through technology."

Amazon One's deployment at NYU Langone marks its largest third-party rollout and its first in a healthcare setting. The system has already been implemented successfully in various venues such as stadiums, airports, fitness centers, and convenience stores. The rollout across all locations is expected by the end of the year.

Amazon Web Services (AWS) collaborated with Epic, NYU Langone’s electronic health record system, to integrate Amazon One into the patient check-in process. Colleen Aubrey, SVP of AWS Solutions, commented on the development: "Health care is deeply personal and often stressful. With Amazon One, we've created a palm recognition system that respects privacy while making check-ins simpler when patients have more important things on their minds."

The palm scanning technology used by Amazon One boasts an accuracy rate of 99.9999% with recognition time under one second. It combines palm and vein imagery for biometric matching that is significantly more accurate than iris scanning.

Amazon One prioritizes privacy by ensuring that no health information is stored or accessed through its service. Palm data remains encrypted within AWS's secure environment without being stored on mobile devices or used for marketing purposes.

Patients can enroll in Amazon One online or via enabled devices at NYU Langone locations before appointments. They retain control over their data usage as they can unenroll and request deletion of their palm data anytime.

The introduction of this technology aims not only to streamline patient check-ins but also to allow healthcare offices to serve more patients efficiently while reducing administrative burdens.