I, Robot: Personal data implants could save your life when the chips are down
Delray Beach firm’s injectable digital microchips allow patients to carry their medical records inside their arms

BOCA RATON NEWS: December 5, 2005 - Scott Silverman doesn’t have a chip on his shoulder. He has a chip IN his shoulder. Specifically, it’s a VeriChip – a tiny device packed with information about a person’s medical history. Silverman is chief executive officer of Applied Digital Solutions of Delray Beach, the only company in the world that has developed a “human implantable microchip” that can be scanned like a bar code, providing health care workers access to vital personal data. The chip – the equivalent of an electronic medical bracelet – could be a lifesaver if a person becomes immobilized and can’t tell rescuers or doctors about health conditions that could be worsened by certain treatments. “It takes just a couple of seconds to inject,” said company spokesman John Proctor. “Once it’s in, you can’t see it. You can’t find it.” But doctors can. Proctor said the chip – the size of a grain of rice – is always implanted in the same spot – in the upper right arm, between the elbow and the shoulder. Getting a chip is quick and easy, but right now, it’s a little pricy. The company recommends that physicians charge a fee of $200 for the VeriChip implant. The fee includes both the procedure and the equipment itself. VeriChip scanners are expected to sell for $600, but are currently being donated to medical facilities free of charge. Approved by the Food and Drug Administration in October 2004, VeriChip is an RFID (radio frequency identification) device containing a unique 16-digit number, company officials explained. Once scanned, it responds with a number used to access a secure database, providing the patient’s medical history and important contact information in the critical first few minutes of care. The password-protected information, accessed from any Internet-capable computer, gives emergency room staff rapid and secure access to the information they need to make proper healthcare decisions during an emergency. So far, said Proctor, “68 hospitals nationwide have signed up to adopt the technology in their emergency rooms. A total of 200 hospitals are expected to be VeriChip-enabled by the end of 2006.” No South County hospitals are yet equipped to take data off the chip. Around the world, some 2,000 people have had a VeriChip implant. About 60 of those are in the United States – most of them employees of the firm located on South Congress Avenue near Germantown Road in Delray Beach. Dr. John Halamka, chief information officer at Harvard Medical School, got “chipped” last year – and said he hasn’t experienced any negative effects. Former Secretary of Health and Human Services and Health-IT advocate Tommy Thompson, who sits on the board of directors of Applied Digital –parent company of VeriChip Corp.--, said he wants to get a “chip shot” in the near future. That’s how the chip is delivered – with a long needle into the upper arm. Proctor said a little local anesthetic helps the process, but it’s not all that painful. According to company statistics, the American Medical Association estimates that 98,000 people die each year because of medical errors, often in the emergency room. Many of these mistakes could be avoided if doctors have access to crucial information in the first few minutes of care -- such as existing medical conditions, allergies, blood type, current medications and contact information. VeriChip hopes to expand the use of its data nuggets. But Proctor said the firm wants to make sure that use “remains voluntary.” He said the company expects the number of users to increase as the hospital infrastructure expands. Silverman said he hopes to sell chips to the Pentagon, the CIA and the FBI for use in this world of heightened security. Actually, Applied Digital Solutions does a lot more than create chips. It offers products for identification and security systems for people, animals, the food supply, the government/military arena and commercial assets. And, yet, it did create the chips that are implanted under the skin of pets. Dale M. King can be reached at 561-549-0832 or at dking@bocanews.com.

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