Fujitsu Implements PalmSecure Biometric Palm Vein Authentication System for Electronic Medical Record Access at Hospital Operated by National Institute of Radiological Sciences

JCN Newswires, Feb 27, 2007

Tokyo, Japan, Feb 27, 2007 - (JCN Newswire) - Fujitsu Limited today announced that it has implemented its PalmSecure(TM) biometric palm vein authentication system at the Hospital for Charged Particle Therapy at the National Institute of Radiological Sciences (NIRS) in Japan, for access of electronic medical records. This is the first such implementation ever of biometric palm vein authentication for electronic medical record access. The innovative system enables users to access electronic medical records through a highly secure and user-friendly log-on procedure, thereby helping to prevent unauthorized access of the hospital's data. The system has been operative since October 2006.

The NIRS hospital, a leader in charged particle therapy[1] in Japan, is involved in a wide range of medical activities based on its radiology examination and care, including radiation diagnoses for cancer, treatment, nuclear medicine, and care for patients who were exposed to atomic bombs.

In addition to increasing efficiency of and further enhancing its medical examinations and research, the hospital aims to increase patient satisfaction such as by providing patients with examination data and promoting evidence-based medicine (EBM)[2]. Furthermore, in view of the rising interest in protecting personal data in recent years, the hospital had been considering a high-security electronic medical record system to prevent identity theft and other forms of unauthorized data access and leakage.

To log into operating electronic medical record system, the user inserts an integrated circuit (IC) smartcard in which the user's pre-registered palm vein pattern data has been registered, and holds his or her hand over the palm vein authentication sensor. The palm vein pattern obtained from the palm vein authentication sensor is then compared with the data read from the smartcard: if the patterns match, the user is granted access to the electronic medical record system. Compared with the conventional ID and password input systems, this convenient and user-friendly yet secure log-on procedure restricts unauthorized access, reinforcing the security that protects the hospital's confidential data.

Additionally, the new system includes enterprise user authentication (EUA)[3] functions in compliance with the Integrating Healthcare Enterprise Information Technology Infrastructure (IHE-ITI)[4] standards, enabling through single sign-on the simultaneous log-on to other systems aside from the electronic medical record system, such as a medical imaging management system and report system.

PalmSecure has been successfully implemented by Fujitsu in various companies and institutions spanning a wide range of industries worldwide, including banks, corporations, condominiums, universities, schools, municipalities, and libraries.

Key Advantages of Fujitsu's PalmSecure biometric palm vein authentication technology:

Diffcult to forge

Because palm veins are beneath the body surface, they are extremely difficult to forge. Compared to the pattern of veins in fingers or the back of the hand, palm vein patterns are more complex - again, increasing the difficulty of forgery - and more stable, as they are less affected by temperature and other external impacts. These factors, together with the system's high verification accuracy - a false acceptance rate of less than 0.00008% and false rejection rate of 0.01% - enable PalmSecure to provide highly secure and reliable personal identity verification.

High applicability

Unlike fingerprint-based authentication methods, for which registration and verification of biometric data cannot be successfully completed if the surface of the skin is impacted by abrasion or dryness, contactless palm vein authentication has negligible susceptibility to such external factors. In developing its palm vein authentication technology, Fujitsu collected data samples of 150,000 palm vein patterns from 75,000 individuals worldwide to verify authentication accuracy and applicability rate. In this process, there were no cases in which the data sample could not be registered and verified.

High user acceptance

In addition to requiring no direct contact with the sensor surface, the non-invasive scanning process is carried out in a simple and natural manner that is not awkward to the user. This alleviates potential psychological resistance due to concerns regarding hygiene or difficulty of use.

Glossary

[1]Charged particle therapy: A form of radiation treatment using charged particle rays (heavy ion rays such as carbon ion rays). Charged particle rays enable a high concentration of charged particles to be exposed to only the target cancerous areas for treatment, thereby making it possible to administer therapy without irradiating normal tissue surrounding the cancer.

[2]Evidence-Based Medicine (EBM): Treatment based on scientific evidence. Medical treatment in which decisions concerning the care of individual patients are based on clear scientific evidence, and treatment methods which are best for the patients are selected.