VeriMed Patient ID Shows Promise at Diabetes Expo
Eighteen diabetic patients showed up at the recent Atlanta Diabetes Expo wearing Verichip’s VeriMed Patient Identification System in a demonstration designed to prove how the RFID-based system helps health pros.
The VeriMed Patient Identification System, based on an implantable RFID microchip in combination with a handheld RFID scanner and a secure patient database, provides immediate access to important health information for patients who arrive at an emergency department unable to communicate.
What does the target audience (health professionals) think? Though the response was undoubtedly positive, cost continues to be the biggest barrier to adoption.
DELRAY BEACH, Fla., March 12 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ – VeriChip Corporation , a provider of RFID systems for healthcare and patient-related needs, announced today it added 18 diabetic patients to its VeriMed Patient Identification System at an Atlanta Diabetes EXPO.
At the Diabetes EXPO, physicians implanted VeriMed RFID microchips in conference attendees who signed up for the voluntary procedure. The VeriMed Patient Identification System, which utilizes an implantable RFID microchip in combination with a handheld RFID scanner and a secure patient database, provides immediate access to important health information for patients who arrive at an emergency department unable to communicate.
Scott R. Silverman, Chairman and CEO of VeriChip, commented, “We believe the VeriMed Patient Identification System is an essential health care solution for at-risk patients, including diabetics, who tend to present with various co-morbidities and medications, and are more frequently admitted to emergency departments. Since the inception of the VeriMed System, we always knew that the diabetic community was in need of a way to communicate their medical information better and more frequently. We will continue to focus on diabetics and to enhance our relationship further with the American Diabetes Association. The Atlanta Diabetes EXPO provides us direct access so we can continue to educate an important target audience.”
The Diabetes EXPO is a patient-driven tradeshow, including professional speakers and a variety of ADA program/event information, where exhibitors from pharmaceutical and medical device companies display beneficial products for diabetics. The Diabetes EXPO began in 1995 in Phoenix, Arizona, and has grown to 18, metro, major and mid-size cities around the U.S. The next event will be held in Boston on March 17, 2007.