Biometric Capabilities Expand For Patient Identification As New Tech Incorporates AI Neural Networks

While medical provider networks have been increasingly turning to biometric scanning for verifying patients’ identities over the last decade plus, the Spanish upstart Heuristik is developing a biometric identification system which incorporates artificial intelligence and neural networks to expand the capabilities of these systems.

The publication Biometric Update interviewed Heuristik’s founder and CEO Antxon Caballero about the company’s expansion plans, patient identification and his “grand vision.”

Traditional biometric identification systems require a fairly consistent operating environment, but patients’ fingerprints may be wet, dirty, blood-stained or covered in topical medicine. This can result in standard scanners failing to verify an individual.

Heuristik developed an AI neural network designed to identify patients’ fingerprints in conditions which traditional biometric systems may not be able to.

This technology aims to replace wristbands with fingerprinting by overcoming the shortfalls current fingerprint systems used in the medical field have.

“Heuristik is a pure AI research firm, but it’s developed a ‘360-degree hardware and software solution’ that integrates into existing hospital workflows. Caballero says that all the hospital groups who’ve tried it so far have gone on to adopt his solution and pay for it. The AI platform is cloud-based and can replace traditional hospital methods like wristbands for identification,” Biometric Update said Monday.

While traditional biometric systems used at medical provider offices verify an individual’s identity to confirm if they are who they say they are, Heuristik’s system conducts an identification investigation of the scanned patient against all other previously scanned patients to determine their identity.

“While standard biometric security relies on a one-to-one verification process, such as matching a face to an ID card, Heuristik’s solution performs a one-to-many identification. With a single scan, the system cross-references a patient’s fingerprint against a database of millions, linking them securely to their electronic medical records,” Biometric Update said.

Due to this technology overcoming the shortfalls of previous biometric systems, it is likely that even more hospitals and doctors offices will adopt patient biometric identification systems. It was reported that 100% of hospital groups which trialed Heuristik’s system fully adopted it, becoming paying customers.

“Currently 20 hospital groups across Europe, the U.S. and Mexico have adopted the platform. Most are in Europe, while one is in the U.S. and another in Mexico, the founder says. Asked about biometric competition in the U.S., Caballero believes his solution is a complementary layer for the healthcare sector; with his focus purely on healthcare biometrics rather than a more generalized approach,” Biometric Update said.

While the company is small, its developments have garnered investment funding. Biometric Update reported:

Heuristik has a small team of 14 staff but significant institutional support. It recently received the  Torres Quevedo grant, one of Spain’s most prestigious. To date, the company has secured €3.2 million ($US3.7 million) through venture capital and research grants. The Spanish Society for Technological Transformation (SETT), which is attached to Spain’s Ministry for Digital Transformation, is among the startup’s backers, investing more than €540,000 ($629,000).

With pending applications, Caballero hopes to increase funds by this summer. Caballero is already looking ahead, aiming to close a €5 million ($5.8 million) round by the end of the year to fuel market expansion.