UAB Medical West Hospital is proud to announce our partnership with CrossChx, a leader in healthcare intelligence solutions that was founded with the support of the state of Ohio. CrossChx has installed their SafeChx system at all main registration points, offering patients advanced medical identity theft protection and efficient patient registration while improving health outcomes and reducing the risk of medical errors. The system is very simple to use, requires very minimal training and has been universally accepted in other health systems.

SafeChx uses biometric technology to scan a patient’s right index finger. By scanning the patients minutiae points on their right index finger, SafeChx is able to give each patient a unique code that links them to their medical benefits so no one else can use them. All patients will be asked to initially scan their right index finger five times in order to get their unique code, then any returning visit will only require a fast, one time scan to verify. Although voluntary, SafeChx will be offered and encouraged to all patients for use however it is mandatory policy that all registrars at a UAB Medical West facility use SafeChx with all patients over the age of five to protect their medical identity.

Nationwide, medical identity theft is on the rise, and it is estimated that Americans spend $40 billion annually on medical identity theft. On a personal level, it is possible for someone to find or steal your health insurance card and use it to get treatment, all while posing as you. SafeChx prevents that from happening because your medical identity will be instantly verified at check-in, not by a laminated paper health insurance card.

While SafeChx is focused on protecting a patient’s medical identity it also works to address a variety of other medical issues like eliminating duplicate medical records. It is estimated that 10% of all medical records are duplicates, which causes added expense for health care providers to carry and access those records. But it also poses problems for patients when they check in at a health care facility and they have multiple records for that one patient.

SafeChx will also help improve patient outcomes by ensuring that the right patient receives the right care every time they visit our facilities. It is common to see multiple patients with the same name and it would be possible, although unlikely, to pull the incorrect medical file because of the common name. This potential error cannot happen by using the SafeChx system because each patient will be identified and linked to his or her corresponding medical benefits; ensuring the right person receives the right care.

In two years, SafeChx has already protected over 7 million patient identities at other health care systems, with an overall patient acceptance rate of 97%. SafeChx offers many long-term advantages with their new technology that will continue to benefit health care systems in the future. SafeChx will allow registrars to provide quicker patient registration, easier doctor access to view patient medical records, decrease administrative burdens of duplicate or incorrect records, and will allow for quick and accurate patient identification in emergency situations. Both CrossChx and UAB Medical West are proud to announce this partnership and to begin offering UAB Medical West’s patients advanced medical identity theft protection.