NEWS

August 5, 2020
PHC Corporation

TOKYO, August 5, 2020 - PHC Corporation (headquarters: Minato-ku, Tokyo, hereafter PHC, President: Kyoji Morimoto) announces the start of full-scale development of software to link its medical-receipt system for medical institutions and pharmacies with the IC Card Reader with Facial Recognition^*1 developed by Panasonic System Solutions Japan Co., Ltd. (headquarters: Chuo-ku Tokyo, president: Tatsuo Katakura, hereafter Panasonic) for online health insurance verification^*2. The linkage software is being developed to meet the requirements of the online health insurance verification system due to be introduced in medical institutions and pharmacies in March 2021 by the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare. Following the start of applications by medical institutions and pharmacies to use facial authentication card readers (submitted via the Health Insurance Claims Review & Reimbursement Services website beginning the early part of August, 2020), PHC will be accelerating its development of software to link to Panasonic’s IC Card Reader with Facial Recognition and will begin promoting the nationwide introduction of online health insurance verification in Japan.

Online health insurance verification is a new system that allows healthcare providers to confirm health insurance qualifications online. It connects medical institutions and pharmacies with Health Insurance Claims Review & Reimbursement Services and All-Japan Federations of National Health Insurance Organizations, automatically checking the insurance qualifications of the IC cards (Individual Number Cards^*3) or health insurance cards presented by patients. Current systems mean that medical institutions are dealing with immense workloads such as manual entry of health insurance information during patients’ reception. The new online health insurance verification system can confirm a patient’s health insurance qualifications and identity, using their IC cards (Individual Number Cards) and the facial authentication card reader. It aims to streamline workflow at medical institutions and pharmacies by expediting the verification process during reception and preventing health insurance verification errors when patients present expired health insurance cards, as well as reducing the need to refund medical expenses when expired cards are used. Since all Japanese citizen’s health information will be centrally managed in the system, enhanced medical services such as more precise diagnostics and optimized medications for each patients are expected as medical institutions nationwide will have access to patients’ screenings and prescriptions data with their consent.

Panasonic’s IC Card Reader with Facial Recognition for medical institutions and pharmacies has been developed using the world’s top^*4 facial authentication technology with a proven track record in airports and office facilities. Its universal design can authenticate patients wearing masks or glasses^*5, as well as patients of different heights and on wheelchairs. PHC’s medical-receipt system will integrate with the dedicated health insurance verification device required by the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare’s standard method for registering consent-approved patient verification information directly to the medical-receipt system. Since there is no need to purchase a dedicated health insurance verification device or provide extra room for installation, clinics and pharmacies with limited space will also be able to smoothly introduce online health insurance verification.

PHC Corporation is a Japanese subsidiary of the PHC Group, a global healthcare company that develops, manufactures, sells, and services solutions across diabetes management, diagnostics and life sciences, as well as providing healthcare services. The system linkage between PHC’s medical-receipt systems and Panasonic’s IC Card Reader with Facial Recognition is aimed to extensively promote the launch of the online health insurance verification system, as well as promote the activities to expand the medical-receipt systems that are part of PHC’s domestic healthcare IT business, branded as Medicom.

Takayuki Otsuka, Corporate Officer and co-head of the Healthcare Services Domain of PHC Holdings Corporation says, “With our system linkage with Panasonic’s IC Card Reader with Facial Recognition we will take the lead in introducing the online health insurance verification. Going forward, the government plans to position the online health insurance verification system as the foundation for accessing health data, while at the same time using it as the basis for constructing additional new health services. These include electronic prescriptions and personal health records^*6(PHR). I believe this will increase opportunities for linking our healthcare IT systems in the future. This system linkage between the online insurance verification system and medical-receipt system will also see us promoting the cloud service linkage solution Medicom Cloud Connect. Solutions offered by Medicom Cloud Connect will be expanded to further improve healthcare services by connecting patients and healthcare professionals. As we aim to become the leading provider of best-in-class precision and digital solutions in healthcare services in Japan, we will continue to contribute to better healthcare with more efficiency and high-quality through our new system linkages.”

*1 Panasonic Press Release:
news.panasonic.com/jp/press/data/2020/08/jn200805-3/jn200805-3.html (Japanese website)
*2 Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare website: Introduction of online health insurance verification (for medical institutions/pharmacies and system vendors)
www.mhlw.go.jp/stf/newpage_08280.html#hokensho1 (Japanese website)
*3 Individual Number Cards: IC card printed with individual’s social security and tax number. This number will identify patients’ health insurance verification.
*4 Recognized as world’s top from evaluation points announced April 28, 2017 on NIST Official Assessment Report（IJB-A Face Verification Challenge Performance Report,IJB -A Face Identification Challenge Performance Report）
*5 Authentications may not work properly if facial features cannot be recognized due to unclear picture or deep mask coverage.
*6 Personal electronic record that can be used by patients and families to accurately grasp health-related information such as health examination results and medication history.

About PHC Holdings Corporation

Incorporated in 2014, PHC Holdings Corporation is a global healthcare company that develops, manufactures, sells, and services solutions across diabetes management, diagnostics and life sciences, as well as providing healthcare service businesses. Subsidiaries include PHC Corporation, Ascensia Diabetes Care Holdings AG, Epredia, and LSI Medience Corporation. The company provides products and services to customers in over 125 countries.
www.phchd.com

About Medical Information Systems (Medicom) Division, PHC Corporation

PHC Corporation is a Japanese subsidiary of the PHC Group, a global healthcare company group that develops, manufactures, sells, and services solutions across diabetes management, diagnostics and life sciences, as well as providing healthcare service businesses. Committed to its corporate mission, “We contribute to the health of society through our diligent efforts to create healthcare solutions that have a positive impact and improve the lives of people,” the company offers value-added products and services to customers in over 125 countries. Since developing and launching the first medical-receipt computer in Japan in 1972, the Medicom Division has worked to improve medical services for patients and work efficiency for healthcare professionals by providing electronic medical record systems and other healthcare IT products and services under the Medicom brand.
www.phchd.com/jp/medicom/about (Japanese website)

About Panasonic System Solutions Japan Co., Ltd.

Providing Panasonic Group’s technology, corporate products and ICT solutions. Expanding in development/manufacturing, sales, system integration, construction, maintenance, and operation services of systems. The company will address management challenges for companies with its “Innovation in field process” transforming work process in fields utilizing its cultivated knowledge and know-how in manufacturing.
panasonic.com/jp/company/pssj.html (Japanese website)

Media contact

Corporate Communications Group
PHC Holdings Corporation
+81-3-6778-5311