An RFID tag, manufactured by SurgiChip, that patients can affix like a bandage to ensure doctors perform the right surgery on the right person won government approval Friday.

The chip is part military dog tag and part high-tech smart chip.

The patient’s name and the site of surgery are printed on the tag and inside is a chip encoded with the type and date of surgery and the surgeon’s name. Before surgery, the tag is scanned and the patient is asked to confirm the information.

On the day of surgery, the tag is scanned again and reconfirmed again by the patient.

Workers in the hospital’s operating room scan the tag again to compare that information with the patient’s chart.

Via MSNBC.
Related: RFID for teeth, RFID + Wi-FI + VoIP to track patients, staff and hospital assets.