VeriChip Corporation announced today that that New Jersey's Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield will be doing a two-year pilot program of VeriChip's VeriMed Patient Identification System in conjunction with Hackensack University Medical Center, implanting RFID chips in in the arms of chronically ill patients.

"Under this trial, participating Horizon BCBSNJ members with chronic illnesses will receive VeriChip's FDA-approved, human-implantable Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) microchips inserted just under the skin of their right tricep," according to a VeriChip press release. "Each patient's unique 16-digit identifier found within the microchip will then tie into their individual electronic medical record stored within the VeriMed Patient Registry accessible by Hackensack University Medical Center's physicians. Each record will contain vital information related to the patient's condition, family contacts, lab test data, and pharmacy records helping make the difference between life and death during an emergency."

"This two-year collaboration is a milestone for VeriMed and for our implantable identification technology, marking the first time a health insurer has sponsored such a program," says VeriChip CEO Kevin McLaughlin.