FDA Approves Implantable Chip

An implantable identification microchip has been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as a means to store a patient’s medical information.

VeriChip, the radio frequency microchip, is about the size of a grain of rice and can be inserted under the skin. Manufacturers are recommending the insertion be made in the triceps area.

Physicians “can read its unique 16-digit verification number by passing a scanner over the insertion site. The number is then linked to a database via encrypted Internet access, and previously stored information is
conveyed”

(Source: JAMA, Dec. 22/29, 2004).

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