In his CIO role, Halamka is responsible for all clinical,
~nancial, educational and research technologies for 3,000 tors, 12,000 employees, and 2 million patients. After the
-:-r)A approved the implantable chip, "I felt I was in a unique
: sition to pilot the technology," Halamka says. "That eans that when a scanner is passed within 6 inches of my
-,, my medical identifier is displayed and can be used by
- orized healthcare workers to retrieve information about identity and medical history via a secure Web site."
• mka emphasizes his role at present is not that of chip
ocate for hospitals but as a real-life test case. Though he that Alzheimer's patients might benefit from RFID one day, as long as it's clear the patients gave informed
- nt to have a chip implanted.
The chip is expected to last at least 10 years based on pet rience. Halamka says it's safe for MRI scans, and he sees evidence the chip can be deactivated through magnetic
:rgy. "I have flown to several dozen cities since the im•
rn and have not triggered any airline security systems," he
- tes, The chip is not a GPS. The unique ID transmitted by
_e VeriChip human-implantable chip isn't encrypted, so it uld be read by a compatible reader. But unauthorized
~ding of the chip doesn't disclose any specific health infor
-,ation, he adds, because that's on a closed Web site.