NYU Langone Health is introducing Amazon’s contactless palm-scanning technology, Amazon One, to its facilities, marking the platform’s debut in the healthcare industry and its most significant deployment to date.
NYU Langone, which operates six hospitals and over 320 outpatient centers and handles more than 10 million patient visits a year, anticipates that Amazon One will streamline check-ins, reduce wait times, and lighten the administrative workload for front office staff, according to an NYU Langone executive. The healthcare provider estimates that using the technology will reduce the time patients spend at front desks from two to three minutes down to under one minute.
Amazon’s palm-scanning technology, which the company claims has nearly 100% accuracy and a recognition time of less than a second, could also help the healthcare provider reduce administrative errors and prevent fraud.
Amazon One initially debuted in Amazon Go cashierless stores in Seattle and was later introduced in Whole Foods grocery stores. The pay-by-palm technology has encountered challenges in gaining widespread acceptance, partly because consumers are more familiar with fingerprint and facial recognition, which are common on smartphones. Furthermore, voluntary enrollment is required for Amazon One in both retail and healthcare settings, which some consumers view as an obstacle to adoption.
Data privacy is always a concern for consumers, especially when there are questions about data storage and security when biometric information is involved. This is particularly true within the heavily regulated healthcare field. Under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), stiff penalties apply for violations.
To address privacy concerns, NYU Langone has stated that Amazon will not store or access any health data or personal information of its patients beyond their palm prints. The healthcare system also announced that Amazon One technology will be operational at NYU Langone locations in the New York metropolitan area starting next week, with expansion plans to other locations later in the year.
Amazon plans to explore more uses for Amazon One in healthcare. These could include verifying access credentials for restricted areas or computer systems.
