Announced at HIMSS25, the partnership between the New York health system and Amazon enables patients to confirm their identity in seconds.
NYU Langone Health is launching a new biometric technology platform that’s designed to enable patient registrations through a palm scan.
Announced during the first day of the HIMSS25 conference and exhibition in Las Vegas, the New York health system is partnering with Amazon to launch the Amazon One tool through the Epic EHR platform. The technology enables patients to confirm their identity through a palm scan, which is reportedly more than 99% accurate, less intrusive than other forms of identity verification, and takes place in seconds.
"One of NYU Langone’s goals is to leverage cutting-edge technology to enhance the patient experience,” Nader Mherabi, EVP, Vice Dean and Chief Digital and Information Officer at NYU Langone, said in a press release. “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.”
As HIMSS kicks into gear this week, announcements like this are indicative of an industry striving to use innovative technology to improve the patient experience. Health systems and hospitals are under pressure to not only improve clinical outcomes and cut costs, but also make the patient’s care journey more intuitive.
The registration process is a key pain point in healthcare, and health system leaders are looking for ways to reduce the questionnaires and paperwork that make the process longer and more cumbersome, thereby reducing the time a patient can actually spend with their care team.
The partnership takes advantage of a technology now being used in airports, sports stadiums, convenience stores and fitness centers, and marks Amazon One’s largest third-party healthcare deployment to date. It’s also an example of the healthcare industry looking to other industries for innovative ways to solve nagging problems.
According to executives, the Amazon One platform accesses the EHR only to confirm the patient’s identity, and does not access or store any other patient data. Patients are asked to create an Amazon One profile ahead of their visit and link that profile to NYU Langone.
NYU Langone expects to roll out the technology to all locations within the year.
Eric Wicklund is the associate content manager and senior editor for Innovation at HealthLeaders.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
The patient registration process is a key pain point in healthcare, and health system executives are looking for ways to use technology to reduce the time and paperwork and get the patient in front of their care team.
NYU Langone and Amazon are collaborating on a palm scanning platform that will allow patients to quickly and easily confirm their identify at check-in.
The technology is integrated with the Epic EHR platform, but does not access or store any patient data.