Amazon is expanding its palm-scanning technology, Amazon One, into the healthcare sector through a landmark partnership with NYU Langone Health, marking the first implementation of the biometric authentication system in a medical setting. The deployment represents Amazon One’s largest rollout in any industry to date.
Starting next week, patients at NYU Langone Health’s network of six hospitals and over 320 outpatient centers in the New York metropolitan area will have the option to check in for appointments using Amazon’s palm-scanning technology. The healthcare provider, which handles more than 10 million patient visits annually, plans to expand the service across additional locations throughout 2025.
The integration aims to significantly streamline the patient check-in process. NYU Langone estimates that using Amazon One will reduce front desk processing time from two to three minutes to less than one minute per patient. This efficiency gain could substantially impact patient flow and staff workload across the organization’s facilities.
Amazon One’s technology, which combines palm and vein imagery for identification, boasts a 99.9999 percent accuracy rate with recognition time under one second. This high level of precision builds on Amazon’s previous success with biometric recognition systems.
Addressing privacy concerns, which have been significant in Amazon’s biometric initiatives, NYU Langone has emphasized that Amazon will not have access to patients’ health data or personal information beyond their palm prints. The collected data will be encrypted, and patients can opt out and request data deletion at any time.
The healthcare implementation follows Amazon One’s successful deployment in various sectors, including retail locations and restaurants. However, the technology has faced adoption challenges in some venues, as evidenced by Red Rocks Amphitheatre’s decision to abandon its implementation in 2022.
Dr. Nader Mherabi, Executive Vice President and Chief Digital and Information Officer at NYU Langone Health, expressed optimism about the partnership: “This technology will help streamline the check-in process for our patients, reduce wait times and ease the administrative workload of our front-office staff.”
The expansion into healthcare represents a significant milestone for Amazon One, as medical facilities increasingly adopt biometric solutions for patient identification and security. This trend aligns with broader industry movements toward digital transformation in healthcare settings.
Sources: Payments Journal, Axios, KFF Health News
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March 4, 2025 – by Ali Nassar-Smith
