Microchip Under Patients' Skin Can Aid Doctors

ALLISON BURKE / The Ledger | July 11 2006

Someone calls 911. You hear sirens and see lights. The seconds tick by too quickly.

After an interminable time, you arrive at the emergency room.

But there's a problem. No one knows who you are. You try to tell them, but you can't speak. Who knows how long it might be before you get help?

Unfortunately, this situation is all too common. Patients are admitted to the emergency room every day without identification, without which they cannot be helped.

Shands emergency physician Dr. Steven Yucht -- on a daily basis -deals with patients without identification,who are unable speak or who are unconscious.

"We have (John Doe patients) all the time," he said. "Usually the only reason (patients have no ID) is because they're nefarious, involved in drugs or something illegal, and so they're not carrying their IDs. But if grandma comes from the nursing home, we may not have her name, but we can figure it out pretty quick and get her medical attention."

A new technology on the market has the potential to eliminate the problem of identity uncertainty. Verichip Corp., a subsidiary of Applied Digital Solutions out of Delray Beach, has created an implantable microchip about the size of a grain of rice that uses RFID, or radio frequency identification, technology.

RFID technology has been used for decades, most recently as tracking chips in pets in case the animal runs away or gets lost. Verichip, however, is the only microchip approved by the FDA for implantation in humans.

The microchip, usually implanted in the back of the right arm, contains a 16-digit code that when scanned into a secure online database gives the emergency medical staff access to any information that the patient wishes to upload.

Personal identification is first priority, but patients can also include names of emergency contacts, current medical problems or medications taken, insurance information, whether they wish to donate their organs in case of death, and even a will or do-not-resuscitate order, said Verichip Corp. spokeswoman Nicole Philbin.

"Sometimes people don't think about that," she said. "Verichip gives them peace of mind that, if they're unconscious, they'll be taken care of. And even if they're not unconscious, it saves time."And time is of the essence in the emergency room. An estimated 98,000 people die in the hospital each year, just waiting to be identified and to receive treatment, Philbin said.

However, some people are worried that Verichip has the potential for abuse, namely invasion of privacy. Activist organizations such as the nonprofit Privacy Rights Clearinghouse have spoken out against Verichip, especially against the possibility of adding GPS capabilities to its microchips.

In an interview with National Public Radio reporter Scott Horsley, clearinghouse founder and director Beth Givens expressed concerns that the element of choice with Verichip may eventually be taken away, and a time will come when implantation is mandatory, creating a Big Brother society.

However, these activist groups worry unnecessarily, Philbin said."Verichip is not a tracking device," she said.

"The average person's cell phone has GPS tracking ability. You can find out more from someone who carries a cell phone than (someone who is implanted with) Verichip."

Moreover, thousands of patients have volunteered to get the chips, she said. "Verichip is a privacy pro-active company," Philbin said.

"You choose what information you put on the chip.

"Despite the thousands of volunteers, only 100 people have gotten the chips so far. Only a little more than 60 hospitals nationwide have the equipment to read the microchip.That's the real problem with Verichip, Yucht said.

Most doctors don't have access to the necessary equipment or they don't think to scan for the chip, because it is so new and so few people have had them implanted. "Until you get an adequate reading ability, it's going to be difficult to implement," Yucht said.

However, getting a Verichip implant is a simple process. Anyone interested can get an implant by visiting www.verimedinfo.com or calling customer service at 866-402-2447 to find a local participating physician.

Once at the doctor's office, the insertion procedure will be discussed and the patient will get the implant.

The procedure requires local anesthesia and requires little to no recovery time.

Then the patient will be asked to complete a patient registration form, which will be submitted to Verichip Corp. and the patient will be contacted to verify that the information is accurate and complete.

While Yucht admits that there's little risk associated with getting an implant, he finds the technology somewhat superfluous.

"There is a market for people who feel it's a necessity to be used," he said. "As people get older, they get more concerned about health care and the potential for something to go wrong.

(Verichip is) something helpful for those who have the money to buy peace of mind with the unrealistic ideal that it's going to be used the way (they) expect it to."

The total cost of the microchip,including the fee charged by the physician for implantation, is generally from $200 to $300.

The annual subscription fee for the VeriMed Patient Registry is $10 for the essential edition or $80 for the complete edition.

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