A Florida HMO has decided to implement biometrics to eliminate medical fraud.
In an effort to curb medical fraud and move its patient identification forward, one of Florida’s largest health insurers Simply Healthcare Plans will begin using biometrics to identify customers, the company announced earlier this week.
SHP plans to implement the system within the next 90 days. The company cites the Congressional Budget Office and General Accounting Office statistic that at least 10 percent of all medical expenditures deal exclusively with health fraud.
SHP customers will now have their irises scanned at the initial point of contact at the healthcare facility. Aside from preventing medical fraud, the company believes biometric identification will make hospital visits less troublesome for patients.
"We are concerned with the rising trends in healthcare fraud and will need to stay ahead of the curve when it comes to stopping healthcare fraud," SHP CEO Mike Fernandez said in a release.
CNN reported earlier this month that a free clinic in Bronx, New York implemented a similar system in recent months that scans the iris of a patient for identification purposes. The system has helped the largely Hispanic clientel receive more reliable service as the clinic reported instances in which more than 50 patients have the same name.
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