Originally Published EMDM
November 2003
INDUSTRY NEWS
Fingerprint Sensors Enhance Device User Authentication |
| AuthenTec’s TruePrint technology–based fingerprint sensors provide convenient and reliable security for user identification and authentication purposes. |
Technology-based fingerprint sensors provide a convenient and reliable security option for medical personnel to comply with the US Health Industry Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA). They can replace PINs, passwords, physical access cards, and keys. The sensors ensure that only authorized personnel have access to medical records and electronic equipment.
Offered by AuthenTec Inc. (Melbourne, FL, USA), the sensors use the company’s patented TruePrint technology, which allows fingerprints to be read several layers below the surface of the skin. Because the sensors penetrate through the surface, they are unaffected by common skin surface conditions such as dry, worn, or calloused skin. As a result, fingerprint images can be acquired under virtually any condition.
According to the company, TruePrint is the first technology to make fingerprint biometrics suitable for mass-market adoption. Medical companies especially will benefit from this technology. “Our medical customers are aware that HIPAA guidelines recommend biometrically enabled systems as the preferred option to passwords,” says Mike
Verstegen, president of Plexus Technology Group. Plexus, a provider of electronic manufacturing services, will offer complete engineering, design, and integration services for the sensors.
Medical device manufacturers are already looking into the possibility of integrating fingerprint sensors into small handheld patient-specific drug-delivery devices such as inhalers. “By verifying the correct owner, the device can prohibit someone else from accessing drugs like narcotics,” says Oliver Mihm, director of project management for Plexus. “Also, because these units are electronic, they can track the dosage schedules of patients.”
For more information, contact AuthenTec Inc., 709 S. Harbor City Blvd., Ste. 400, Melbourne, FL 32901, USA; phone: +1 321 3081300; fax: +1 321 3081430; Internet:
www.authentec.com
Rita Emmanouilidou
Copyright ©2003 European Medical Device Manufacturer
