In the world of cyberspace, so the saying goes, no one knows if you are a dog!
Digital identity has the potential to either fuel e-commerce or bring it to a standstill. The Obama Administration created a policy in this area, and is now moving forward with a workgroup that will create a regulatory framework for trusted digital identities. 
As this occurs, let’s review the bank-based ID management “engine” as a potential solution. And, in my opinion, if we take that step, we – as the healthcare community – will reach the identity management finish line much quicker.
The overall platform for making strong connections with the consumer, digital identity, management of data and links to legacy systems that can scale to authenticate millions of users is already in place – it’s called a commercial bank!
The data exchanged is “money,” but as our healthcare system turns digital, healthcare stakeholders may be able to directly use this platform of technology, legal and business systems and processes, persistent investments and more, to fast forward to a new digital healthcare environment.
Medical banking, a key topic at the Summit for Healthcare and Financial Technology at HIMSS13 in New Orleans on March 3-7, 2013, helps to uncover new formulas for leveraging online banking to move “electronic healthcare” forward.
