The Deadline for Hospital Future Act (KHZG) Funding is Swiftly Approaching
German hospitals and clinical care facilities have only until December 31, 2021, to file their application for KHZG and Federal Social Security Office (BAS) funding. These funds will be available to both large hospital consortiums or hospital chains as well as smaller hospitals to update their emergency facilities, digitize their records and procedures and beef up IT security. One of the requirements for this government funding is a 15% investment in IT security. Organizations that are utilizing RFID identification verification technology to comply with the submission requirement are also starting to reap the additional benefits of single sign-on authentication for a faster, more secure healthcare environment.
The Benefits of Cost-Effective RFID Authentication
Besides the benefit of doing away with multiple passwords that slow down workflow efficiency, bog down help-desk requests (with an associated cost from the IT department) and frustrate users, the most convenient benefit is the ability to leverage existing hospital-issued photo ID badges as a single access credential. Healthcare providers such as doctors, nurses and other staff simply tap their badge to a contactless reader, and they’re in the system. But ease of use and existing infrastructure utilization are only two reasons that RFID-powered SSO is so popular in healthcare. Other benefits include:
- Streamlined clinician processes — single sign-on saves up to 45 minutes per day over passwords
- Litigation prevention and full regulatory compliance by accurately verifying clinician identity
- Reduction of 90% of lost/stolen identification and password-related help-desk calls
- Secured, touchless access for shared workstations — cutting down on the bottleneck of multiple clinicians logging in and out of one system multiple times daily
- Easy integration with any healthcare provider’s software (plug and play)
- Prevention of prescription drug theft
- With the introduction of another authentication method (multi-factor authentication) RFID authentication allows extremely secure transmission of confidential patient data and access to electronic health records
In addition, there are areas of the facility where touch is forbidden, such as surgery rooms and intensive care. In these instances, RFID technology provides frictionless, touchless identification assurance with no contact necessary.
With all the benefits, and little infrastructure change, it’s easy to see why RFID intelligence can help healthcare organizations maintain security and efficiency for both physical and digital environments — all while ensuring compliance to stringent healthcare regulations.
Remember, time is of the essence! KHZG is funding German healthcare facilities up to €4.3 billion in total, but the deadline is swiftly approaching, and application submissions are already being evaluated. Don’t lose the opportunity to get the funding needed for more modern technology upgrades and don’t miss out on the role that cost-effective, non-disruptive RFID technology provides for safer, more efficient hospitals.
Learn more at RFID in healthcare or see the infographic Europe’s Problem With Passwords in Healthcare.
Marcel has over twenty years of experience in sales of complex IT security solutions in tagging systems, CCTV, physical access control with biometric and RFID solutions. Prior to joining HID Global, he has held several management positions at Honeywell and Tyco and NineSigma. Zillig holds a bachelor’s degree in Economics and Law from the University of Duisburg-Essen.