Obama's big idea: Digital health records - http://money.cnn.com/2009/01/12/technology/stimulus_health_care/index.htm In 2002, the VeriChip Corporation received preliminary approval from the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to market its device in the U.S. within specific guidelines. Since its effective approval in 2004 [2], about 80 hospitals and 232 doctors have elected to use the system.[3] By implanting such a chip with a patient's medical record, hospitals and emergency workers can immediately gain access to an ill or injured person's medical history regardless of location or condition. Implanted chips are impossible to lose, which could reduce or increase the chances of information theft.