Abstract
Smart card shipment volumes continue to rise year over year and adoption for
the mobile sector, contactless payment applications, and government ID
segments remains strong. Meanwhile, multi-applications smart cards in
healthcare remain a small but growing portion of the overall microprocessor
card market. While some may dismiss the strength of smart card applications
for healthcare, there are compelling benefits to their use. In the United
States, the ability to enhance HIPAA compliance, combined with strong
capabilities to limit healthcare fraud, are among the benefits offered by
smart cards. In addition, the ability to streamline claims processing while
simultaneously delivering important medical information in a timely manner,
especially in emergency situations, make a strong case for healthcare smart
cards.
"In the United States, as we see interest in consumer directed health plans
grow, patients must become more involved in the healthcare process,"
states Melanie Broad, a member of Mercator Advisory Group' s Emerging
Technologies Service and principal analyst on the report. "Considering the
number of players in the space, smart cards could transfer information amongst
the various members of the healthcare space with relative ease, helping all
players manage the healthcare process from registration to payment."
In Smart Cards and Healthcare: An Opportunity For Payments, Mercator Advisory
Group examines various examples of healthcare smart card programs in France
and Germany. In addition, a US-based pilot that involved two-factor patient
authentication is reviewed as well as a current initiative to bring smart
cards to healthcare in order to create a regional medical network.
The report also discusses smart card manufacturers who are currently engaged
in the healthcare market. A discussion of the opportunity for smart cards to
impact payments in the healthcare space, and landscape populated by a
multitude of players, concludes the report.
View Cart
