Physicians in southern Ohio are turning to fingerprint scans to curb patient painkiller abuse, according to a Wall Street Journal report.
As part of a year-long pilot program starting this week, patients must submit a fingerprint scan to see a physician at Holzer Health System and must use fingerprint IDs to fill prescriptions at pharmacies. The fingerprint data will upload to a patient's electronic medical record and will track physician visits, pills prescribed and prescriptions filled.
The state of Ohio has pledged $500,000 to support the program, while Holzer and CrossChx, the data-analytics company providing the scanning devices, have pledged $900,000.
As part of a year-long pilot program starting this week, patients must submit a fingerprint scan to see a physician at Holzer Health System and must use fingerprint IDs to fill prescriptions at pharmacies. The fingerprint data will upload to a patient's electronic medical record and will track physician visits, pills prescribed and prescriptions filled.
The state of Ohio has pledged $500,000 to support the program, while Holzer and CrossChx, the data-analytics company providing the scanning devices, have pledged $900,000.