Most hospitals require employees, doctors, volunteers, medical students, and contractors to wear photo IDs. Patients and visitors often receive ID badges as well. In some cases, hospital badges are very basic, but many healthcare facilities are now discovering it makes sense to link hospital ID badges to access control systems. Hospital access control cards enhance the overall security level of a facility by limiting access to restricted areas and permitting only authorized personnel to enter. The threat of dangerous intruders is ever-present, making hospital access control extremely important.

Keyless entry also makes it easier to lock down a facility. Securing a hospital with countless entrances and exits is much more difficult with a keyed entry system than with a card system. Imagine trying to seal off the exterior doors of a facility in an emergency situation when each door requires someone to personally attend to a lock and key. Card-based access control systems provide much greater flexibility and speed when it comes to quickly locking down buildings and restricted areas.

Access control systems typically operate using proximity card, smart card technology, or magnetic stripe cards. With a proximity card or contactless smart card system, the hospital employee must hold their ID badge within a certain distance of a special reader in order to gain access to a specific building or area. These systems can be setup so that it’s easy to control who is allowed where, thus creating a high level of security throughout the healthcare facility or medical campus.