Surgery Center's First Biometric Reader Opens the Door to Extensive Possibilities
The Surgery Center at Hamilton is a state-of-the-art, multi-specialty surgery center in central New Jersey. As a premiere outpatient facility, The Surgery Center performs surgical procedures on healthy patients that do not require an overnight stay. Chris Wetzel, the facility's Chief Executive Officer, explains, "Because we are focused just on surgery, we can perform procedures more cost-effectively than hospitals while providing a more personalized, less stressful experience for patients."
Inside the 14,500 square foot facility, among the operating, preoperative, and recovery suites, there is a narcotics and medication storage room. Access to the narcotics room is extremely limited to approximately 50 people, including both Center employees and auxiliary staff who perform procedures but are not Center employees. The Center initially deployed a badge system to manage and control access to the room, but quickly ran into administrative issues. "There was the cumbersome process of enrollment, and then people would repeatedly lose their badges," said Wetzel. "I knew there had to be a better way."
Wetzel reached out to Princeton Identity, a global leader in biometric and identity management solutions, for help. Princeton Identity quickly assessed the Center's specific needs and applied a biometric access control solution to secure the area. The biometric iris reader installed at the narcotics room door and associated management platform eliminated the hassles the Center faced with the prior badge system.
Enrolling new users now takes only minutes, as new users need only stand in front of the reader while Mr. Wetzel accesses the system's cloud-based software from his laptop. "It's a lot faster than enrolling people with the old badge system," says Wetzel. "I click on an icon, wait while the reader takes a reading of their iris, fill in a couple of fields, and that's it. Once someone is enrolled in the system, I don't have to deal with them again unless I need to change their permissions."
Furthermore, the authentication process is entirely touchless, allowing users to interface with the system while wearing medical gloves and face mask. This element was key, explains Wetzel, as, "Our O.R. staff wears masks all the time, even when we're not in the middle of a pandemic. The fact that it works with face masks is fantastic. They just glance at the reader outside the door, it recognizes their iris, and boom, the door opens."
The Surgery Center's enthusiastic response to Princeton Identity's initial installation has Wetzel planning to expand the technology's use to other access points throughout the facility. Even with just one doorway currently in operation, he sees a return on investment. "The Pl system is easy to use, accurate, and the reporting is good. I'm no longer worrying about who has access, who doesn't, and who lost their badge. From a quality-of-life standpoint, the return on investment is priceless." But expanding access control is only one avenue the Center is exploring .
In conversations with Princeton Identity, many other possible applications are under discussion. For example, by integrating biometric identification with patient records, healthcare facilities like the Surgery Center at Hamilton can eliminate possible confusion over individuals with similar names or ensure more accurate billing. Princeton Identity's access control solutions also integrate with third-party time and attendance and visitor management systems for more secure and accurate reporting.
Wetzel's quest to better secure the narcotics and medical room has led to a realization that biometric identity solutions help healthcare facilities like his with far more than access control. Ultimately, I want to provide the safest, most secure environment in the most efficient way possible," he says. "Princeton Identity helps me check those boxes."
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