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NYU Langone Health is rolling out Amazon One, a contactless palm-scanning system, to speed up patient check-ins across its facilities, the online retail giant said in a news release on Monday, Mar. 3. The rollout of the new check-in system will begin on the week of Monday, Mar. 10.
The technology, already used at Amazon Fresh grocery stores, stadiums, and airports, is being integrated into NYU Langone's check-in process to enhance efficiency and security.
"One of NYU Langone's goals is to leverage cutting-edge technology to enhance the patient experience," said Nader Mherabi, NYU Langone's chief digital and information officer. "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.
"As with all new initiatives and technology of this scale, we will optimize over time and meet the needs of our patients."
Amazon One works through scanners that capture unique palm and vein patterns, ensuring 99.9999 percent accuracy in identity verification, according to Amazon. The process takes less than a second, reducing wait times and minimizing human error.
Amazon One captures unique palm and vein patterns to identify a person's identity.
Patients can enroll online or at a kiosk before their appointment, linking their palm signature to their NYU Langone profile. The program is optional for NYU Langone's millions of patients.
Amazon also said the system doesn't store or access health records and uses multiple security measures, including encryption and restricted access controls. Amazon Web Services (AWS) collaborated with Epic, NYU Langone's electronic health record provider, to integrate the technology.
This will be Amazon One's biggest deployment to a third-party provider and NYU Langone will be the first healthcare provider to use the biometric system on a large scale.
"Health care is deeply personal and often stressful," said Colleen Aubrey, senior vice president of AWS Solutions. "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.
"It's meaningful to see our technology make a real difference in people's daily lives and provide a more frictionless health care journey without ever compromising on security or patient trust."
NYU Langone said it expects to install Amazon One scanners at all locations by the summer.
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