Report Seeks Better Identity Validation

HDM Breaking News, January 24, 2008

 

Having a more reliable means of verifying consumers' identities online would improve their ability to access and consolidate their health care information, according to a new report.

The report, "Connecting Americans to Their Health Care," states that a mix of established and emerging validation techniques are needed to help stimulate the growth of new electronic health services, including personal health records. It also recommends federal organizations, such as the National Institute of Standards and Technology, research identity validation techniques to help set benchmarks.

Further, it states that one such established technique, in-person checking of government-issued identification documents, continues to be one of the most commonly used validation methods but hasn't been tested for reliability. The report encourages greater use of knowledge-based authentication, where a person's identify is confirmed through electronic dialog about facts that only that person should know. Further, it recommends health care organizations make use of confirmed identities managed by other reliable parties, such as financial institutions.

Published by Connecting for Health, a public-private collaborative group operated by the New York-based Markle Foundation, the report contains these and other recommendations from 38 health and technology leaders. It is the latest addition to the group's Connecting for Health Common Framework series of reports.

For more information go to connectingforhealth.org.

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