Providing a caring and comfortable environment where patients and their families can focus on the healing and recovery process without having to worry about their physical safety is the most important objective for healthcare institutions. This often poses a dilemma as hospitals work to balance the need to be welcoming and open with the need for strong security. Fortunately, it is possible to balance these two somewhat opposing goals by managing the access permissions of individuals present at any given time in the facility using physical identity and access management (PIAM) software.

As the software continues to gain traction in healthcare facilities, keep an eye on these four trends, which represent some of the most valuable applications of PIAM software at healthcare facilities.

Trend #1: System Integration

PIAM solutions unify identity management with physical access control and other diverse security systems, integrating these into a single platform for more streamlined security management. By having a single point of control, errors are reduced and information management is more precise. As a policy-driven solution that connects existing systems and automates key processes and workflows, PIAM allows healthcare organizations to cost effectively optimize their security operations while continuing to provide the caring and comfortable environment that is beneficial to patient health.

Trend #2: Regulatory Compliance

Compliance with regulatory mandates is an important element of risk management. PIAM software can automate healthcare organizations’ compliance initiatives in real time.

PIAM solutions help ensure compliance with HIPAA requirements regarding both physical access to sensitive data to maintain the privacy and security of individually identifiable health information. The software provides individual identities with access only to what is dictated by defined policies. Any change or update to a policy or rule triggers an automatic revision in other identification sets. PIAM software’s integrated monitoring feature provides automatic remediation of any compliance anomalies, and robust reporting capability allows hospitals to enforce, maintain, and demonstrate compliance with HIPAA regulations.

Trend #3: Infant Abduction

On average, five infants per year are abducted from U.S. hospitals, in some cases despite the presence of high-tech security bracelets designed to prohibit removal of an infant from a maternity ward. Incorporating an intelligent identity-based visitor management solution provides enhanced security by automating the verification, screening, and badging of identities across a healthcare facility. These solutions also allow patients to control who is on their family and friends list, so only people they authorize can be issued badges that allow them to enter specified access points. By preventing unauthorized individuals from entering certain areas, hospitals can reduce the likelihood of child abduction.

Trend #4: Patient Elopement

Patients who are mentally, developmentally, or emotionally impaired are just some of the types of individuals who may attempt elopement (or bolting) from a facility. This possibility poses significant issues for hospitals, where it is often not physically difficult for an individual to bolt. Incorporating physical access control on doors to areas where at risk populations are housed is a vital step in preventing elopement. Credentials can be incorporated into ID bracelets or other wearable badge, and all individuals would have to present their credentials to leave a particular area. Once this physical infrastructure is in place, PIAM software manages the identities of patients, staff, visitors, contractors, and others, and incorporates each patient’s data into the system to ensure that anyone coming to visit a patient is vetted according to set policies. Tying in video surveillance to document activity and identify individuals in case of an incident is another key step in helping to prevent elopement.

Conclusion

By leveraging PIAM solutions to connect diverse existing physical security, IT and other systems, healthcare organizations can streamline key processes and workflows to optimize security operations, centralize control and enforce compliance with regulatory mandates in real time while generating a positive ROI.

Click here to learn how Quantum Secure’s PIAM solution for healthcare facilities – SAFE for Healthcare – can help solve your organization’s physical identity and access management challenges.

 

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