VeriChip Extends VeriMed Patient ID System to Emergency Medical Responders

Nov 24, 2007 – VeriChip Corp., a provider of radio frequency identification (RFID) systems for healthcare and patient-related needs, announced that its VeriMed Patient Identification System has expanded to Emergency Medical Responders.

The company has equipped 27 American Medical Response (AMR) ambulances in three counties in the Atlanta metro area with Bluetooth-enabled scanners. These ambulances are the first fleet of its kind in the country to be equipped with the VeriMed system for both emergency and non-emergency transport of residents and patients from more than 20 senior independent living facilities, assisted living facilities and nursing homes in Fulton, DeKalb and Clayton Counties.

The VeriMed Patient Identification System, which consists of a hand-held RFID scanner, an implantable RFID microchip, and a secure patient database, is used to help rapidly identify and provide access to important health information on participating patients. By outfitting these ambulances to be VeriMed enabled, long-term care facilities are better able to attract prospective residents and patients by offering more efficient solutions for geriatric care. Residents and patients can now have their portable electronic medical records available at all times from their facility to ambulance to hospital.

Scott R. Silverman, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of VeriChip, said, This relationship with AMR, the leading provider of medical transport in the U.S., is an important step in the build-out of the VeriMed Patient Identification System. By equipping ambulances to quickly identify patients and their health records, medical personnel can immediately begin to care for these patients. With over 900 hospitals now enrolled in the VeriMed system, this is a logical extension to comprehensive coverage.

VeriChip Corp. is majority-owned by Applied Digital Solutions, which also owns a majority position in Digital Angel Corp.