RFID Implant Cancer Questions Concern Patients

PassportMD Offers Safe, Secure & Free Personal Health Record (PHR) Solution

   DELRAY BEACH, Fla., Sept. 18 /PRNewswire/ -- News that radio frequency
identification (RFID) implants could pose dangerous health risks -- even
cancer -- has the healthcare and personal health records (PHR) industries
wondering how to provide medical professionals with vital patient health
records in case of emergency.
A simple, free and non-invasive alternative already exists. Consumers
can use Web-based services, CD-ROMs and simple paper-products designed to
hold critical data that can be easily accessed or carried, said Steven M.
Hacker, M.D., founder and CEO of PassportMD Inc., a leader in
consumer-managed healthcare products.
"It's a twist George Orwell couldn't have imagined -- that some 'big
brother' computer chip injected under the skin may jeopardize your health,"
Hacker said. "Products like PassportMD provide a safe, secure and
non-invasive alternative. It's free and the information is immediately
accessible without access to a phone or Internet connection."
Glass-encapsulated RFID transponders from companies like VeriChip are
implanted under the skin. A special scanner must be used to reveal a
16-digit code that's then entered into a Web database to retrieve the
patient's medical information. Earlier this month, it was reported that
some lab animals implanted with chips developed cancer and sarcoma. Other
possible adverse effects include tissue reactions, migration of the
implanted chip, Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) incompatibility,
electrical hazards, infection and even compromised information security.
Already used to identify lost pets, some 2,000 people worldwide have RFID
chips implanted for PHR applications.
Products like PassportMD.com provide safe and secure access to patient
records. Subscribers can create a free personal health record by following
a simple, 10-step tutorial. The PHR can be printed on a wallet-sized card
or can be accessed anytime through a password-protected Website. Unlike
chip-based solutions, PassportMD allows subscribers to store, access and
print living wills or advance medical directives. By upgrading to the
premium service, subscribers can use PassportMD's unique "Doctors Notes on
Demand" service that lets consumers easily request, receive, store, print
and access their doctors chart notes.
"Life-saving access to personal health records should be the solution
to a medical problem -- not the cause of one," said Mitch Bernatsky,
President of PassportMD, Inc.
ABOUT PASSPORTMD:
PassportMD creates unique consumer managed healthcare tools to enable
better management and communication of their health with their providers.
For more information, visit http://www.PassportMD.com/.