Veri Impressive Technology

VERI IMPRESSIVE TECHNOLOGY:
How one Florida-based company is changing
the face of personal identification forever

I must confess, the first time I heard about this product I thought it was nothing more than futuristic sci-fi mumbo-jumbo: I was watching a rerun of CSI: Miami  in which a young girl is murdered in a popular Miami nightclub. During the examination of the body the medical examiner finds a microchip implanted in the girl’s chest. Investigators are later told that these chips--called “VeriChips”--are the latest craze. Rather than pack pocketbooks full of cash and plastic, Miami’s rich and privileged can now have their chests scanned to gain access to the hottest clubs and restaurants. Bank accounts can be accessed as well--cover charges, drinks, and food can be debited directly from the user’s account with the mere swipe of a handheld scanner.

Despite this very entertaining (although somewhat misleading) episode of CSI: Miami,  VeriChip Corporation’s VeriMed™ implantable microchip does not store one’s bank account information, nor can it be swiped like a debit card to purchase a bottle of Chocolate Bock, but it does do some pretty cool stuff that just might be commonplace in the not-too-distant future.
         
In the wake of 9/11, the need for technologically advanced, easily-accessible and accurate personal identification verification in times of crisis became painfully clear. VeriChip Corporation was established that December with FDA approval coming just three years later in December 2004. Now VeriChip boasts the only FDA-approved, human-implantable microchip with a worldwide total of more than 2,500 installations.       

VeriChip--a Florida-based company--offers these RFID (Radio Frequency Identification Devices) in three variations: implantable, wearable and attachable.

The implantable version, known as VeriMed™, is about the size of a single grain of rice and is implanted in the back of a patient’s right upper arm just above the triceps muscle. The VeriMed implantable microchip grants doctors, nurses, and other healthcare professionals access to a patient’s medical records in the event of an emergency should the patient become incapable of speaking for himself. By scanning the implantation site, medical personnel are able to access not only the basic information imperative in a medical emergency such as the patient’s name and contact information, but a detailed medical history complete with medical diagnosis, lab reports, medication lists, allergies, blood type, emergency contact information, primary physician’s name and phone number, and insurance information. Legal documents such as living will, power of attorney, do-not-resuscitate order, and organ donor status may also be stored in PDF format on the secure, password-protected database. John Procter, spokesperson for the VeriChip Corporation, says, “VeriChip Corporation believes that this technology will help save lives by linking patients to the medical background information physicians need to make more educated healthcare decisions in the ER.”


Many long-term care facilities are using VeriChip Corporation’s wearable version known as RoamAlert® Wander Protection System for the safety of their most confused patients who have a tendency to wander off. These devices can allow nursing staff to know the real-time location of each resident wearing a RoamAlert® bracelet as well as sound an alarm when a resident is approaching or lingering near an exit. Hospitals are also opting to use this wearable device to prevent newborn abductions as well as decrease the likelihood of accidental baby swapping. With the Hugs® and Halo® Infant Protection Systems, infants are tagged with bracelets that allow nursing staff to know their whereabouts at any given time. In addition, “Exciters” are placed at every exit, either above or beside each doorway. In the event someone attempts to carry a child wearing a Hugs® or Halo® bracelet across the Exciters detection field, an alarm will sound, alerting staff to the imminent danger to the infant. An alarm will also sound if the bracelet is tampered with or removed.
 
An attachable version is also available in the form of an attachable tag (Assetrac®) or a scanable barcode (HOUNDware®) that can be affixed to equipment and other such items to track their whereabouts, schedule maintenance, and prevent loss or theft.

So let’s get down to the nitty-gritty, shall we. How much does one of these implantable chips cost? Well, the VeriChip Corporation recommends that physicians charge a $200 flat fee for the VeriMed microchip and implantation. After that patients can choose either the $20 or $80 per calendar year plan depending on how much information the individual wants stored in his file and how much he wants to spend.

To date, 110 American facilities utilize the VeriMed implantable microchip patient verification system in their emergency rooms and the VeriChip Corporation expects to have over 200 registered by the end of 2006. Currently 100 US citizens and 2,500 people worldwide have the VeriMed microchip implanted in their bodies. Former Secretary of Health and Human Services Tommy Thompson sits on the board of directors at the VeriChip Corporation and has publicly stated that he intends to get his own VeriChip microchip once his local hospitals have installed the VeriMed Patient Identification System.          

As the first and only company to date with an FDA-approved human-implantable microchip, the VeriChip Corporation is on the cutting edge of the latest technology in personal identification verification in the twenty-first century. Perhaps in the future we will be able to have our arms scanned at the grocery store when we purchase food items, or at the gas station when we fill up our cars. Maybe twenty years from now our children will be automatically implanted at birth with identifying microchips that will allow physicians from anywhere on the globe to access an entire life’s worth of information, but for now we can rest assured that our ailing parents and grandparents have options--that as we ourselves age with each and every passing day we have a product available to us that will arm physicians in the largest cities as well as the smallest rural towns with the most current, most accurate information available to them, enabling them to provide us with the best medical care money can buy. Not too shabby for a mere $80 a year.             

For more information about the VeriChip Corporation and its human-implantable microchip VeriMed please visit http://www.verichipcorp.com.