NBC’s Today Show provided live coverage of the "chipping" procedure, and nearly 40 major media organizations from around the world provided in-depth stories, that involved implanting the VeriChip, no larger than a gain of rice, in four individuals, Jacobs family and Nate Isaacson. Each microchip contains an individual ID number that corresponds to the person’s medical information.

For Applied Digital Solutions, the implantations represent only half of the equation. Now it has to convince hospitals and healthcare facilities to accept and use a proprietary, external scanner to read the individual ID number residing on each chip. That number would be plugged into an on-line secure database, which is maintained by the company, to obtain the patient’s medical history and records.

Scott Silverman, president of Applied Digital Solutions, said the company is currently negotiating with hospitals in Florida on their acceptance and use of the VeriChip scanner. Silverman said the company has verbal agreements with 13 of the 14 hospitals in Palm Beach County.

Even though no hospital has actually agreed to use the scanner, the physician who implanted the chip in Isaacson said that he has between six to 12 patients interested in the VeriChip.