1Kosmos wins Epic Toolbox identity verification spot

1Kosmos has received Epic Toolbox designation for Identity Verification for MyChart, making its identity proofing service available within Epic's patient portal environment.

The designation places 1Kosmos inside a widely used access point for patients seeking medical records, appointments and messages with care teams. MyChart is used by health systems running Epic's electronic health record software, and providers can deploy the 1Kosmos service through Epic's Toolbox and Showroom channels.

Healthcare providers face growing pressure to tighten checks around digital patient access as online portals become a larger part of routine care. Remote identity verification has also become more difficult as providers expand digital services across broader electronic health record systems while trying to avoid adding extra steps for patients.

Patient access

The service supports identity checks during both MyChart enrolment and account access. It is designed to verify patients before they enter accounts or recover access, aiming to reduce impersonation, account takeover and other forms of healthcare fraud.

According to 1Kosmos, the process conforms with NIST Identity Assurance Level 2, or IAL2, a US standard used to establish a higher degree of confidence in a claimed identity. The verification uses government-issued identity document authentication, biometric matching and liveness detection.

That level of assurance has become more relevant for providers handling sensitive personal and health information through patient portals. Organisations are increasingly expected to verify that the person seeking access is the legitimate account holder, particularly during account recovery or when especially sensitive records are involved.

The integration is intended to let health organisations add identity proofing within MyChart rather than build separate verification connections around the portal. This can reduce integration work while aligning with Epic's recommended identity practices, according to 1Kosmos.

Fraud concerns

Patient portals have become a target for attackers because they can offer a direct route to valuable personal data, insurance details and other health information. Account takeover can also create downstream risks for providers if false access leads to fraudulent claims, altered information or compromised communications between patients and clinicians.

1Kosmos said its platform can verify identity at onboarding and check it again when access risk rises. It cited account recovery and access to sensitive data as examples where a fresh identity check may be required without forcing a patient to complete a full re-enrolment process.

"Healthcare providers need trusted, pre-certified identity solutions that work seamlessly within their existing EHR environments," said Huzefa Olia, Chief Operating Officer, 1Kosmos. "Our integration with MyChart makes it significantly easier for organizations to verify patient identities, reduce fraud risk, and protect sensitive health data, without disrupting the patient experience."

The company combines identity document verification, biometric authentication and cryptographic validation in the same workflow. It said this is intended to create a single identity proofing process for organisations that want stronger checks around digital patient access.

Company profile

1Kosmos focuses on remote identity verification and passwordless multi-factor authentication for workers, customers and residents using digital services. According to the company, it carries out millions of authentications each day across sectors including banking, telecommunications, technology, healthcare and retail.

It has raised more than USD $72 million in venture funding, according to the company, and is based in Iselin, New Jersey.

The Epic designation gives 1Kosmos a route into healthcare providers already using MyChart as their online front door, at a time when stronger patient identity checks are moving higher up the agenda for health systems managing digital access to clinical information.