Keeping a patient’s medical information confidential is the primary duty of healthcare organizations. However, the modern integrated delivery of medicine requires patient medical information to be available to a diverse group of physicians, nurses and medical specialists.
With paper files being replaced by electronic medical records, databases and email, it becomes even more challenging for healthcare providers to keep patient information confidential, secure and accessible only to medical professionals and other authorized staff.
To address these challenges,
Voltage Security, a provider of end-to-end data protection, and the American Medical Association,
announced that Voltage will provide secure e-mail communication for the AMA’s new health information platform for physicians.
The AMA platform will enable physicians to assess and meet their clinical and practice needs and will provide physicians with access to information, products and services with a single, secure sign-on.
The platform will feature Voltage SecureMail, powered by the Voltage SecureMail Network, a Software-as-a-Service or “SaaS” delivery model that makes Voltage accessible to anyone with an Internet browser.
The platform is currently being beta tested in Michigan in collaboration with the Michigan State Medical Society. It will launch nationwide later this year.
Voltage SecureMail will encrypt and protect e-mail communications sent between physicians, patients and the medical community. Voltage secure e-mail helps members of the medical community meet federal and state healthcare privacy regulations such as HIPAA and HITECH.
“Voltage has a strong track-record of providing easy-to-use secure e-mail to the medical community, and we are thrilled to expand this through our new relationship with the AMA.” Sathvik Krishnamurthy, president and CEO of Voltage Security said.
With Voltage SecureMail solution, e-mail recipients can start reading and replying to secure e-mail immediately without any software to download or pre-enrollment formalities.
Senders and recipients can manage and store secure e-mail in their existing e-mail inbox, maintaining control over their secure messages just like regular e-mail. They can easily send secure e-mail using common Internet browsers as well as BlackBerry wireless devices.
Users can also ensure privacy of electronic Protected Health Information and compliance with HIPAA and HITECH regulations.
“Voltage is a leader in secure online communication, and users of the AMA platform will have the peace of mind knowing that their information will always be private,” AMA board member Joseph M. Heyman said.
Voltage products enable reduction in PCI audit cost with rapid implementation and the lowest total cost of ownership in the industry through the use of solutions, including Voltage Identity-Based Encryption and a new innovation: Format-Preserving Encryption.
Different offerings from Voltage include Voltage SecureMail, Voltage SecureData, Voltage SecureFile and the Voltage SecureMail Network, an on-demand managed service for the extended business network.
In another announcement, Voltage Security announced that Ela
von, a subsidiary of US Bancorp and a provider of payments processing services, has selected Voltage Security to offer security services to its merchant network.
Voltage SecureData featuring Voltage’s format-preserving encryption, coupled with management supplied by Voltage identity-based encryption, is one of the encryption approaches for Elavon’s gateway and acquiring solutions, company officials said.Rajani Baburajan is a contributing editor for HealthTechZone. To read more of Rajani's articles, please visit her columnist page.Edited by
Marisa Torrieri
