Townsend Security Data Privacy Blog

Encrypting & Protecting Medical Data – Some Thoughts Before HIMSS

Posted by Patrick Townsend on Feb 13, 2012 1:00:00 AM

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Anyone who works with software applications in the medical segment is painfully aware of the complexity of patient information.  You mix a lot of personal information about patients, their family, their care givers, diagnostic information, pharmaceuticals, and insurance providers together, and you get a witches brew of data that would make your head spin.

Mix in a rapidly changing regulatory environment and you’ve really got a headache!

Medical organizations and application vendors have a lot on their plates keeping up with all of this, and now with new Electronic Medical Record (EMR) requirements coming into effect, they have to become experts in encryption technologies to protect patient information.

The lights are blinking red; system overload!

We’ve been helping medical organizations meet their data protection requirements with our encryption and key management solutions for several years. Our commitment to industry certifications such as FIPS 140-2 fits well with HIPAA and HITECH Act guidelines on data protection. When you read about NIST recommendations for encryption and key management best practices, we are already there.

Software ISVs who serve the medical industry also need partner-friendly solutions. ISVs need more than just a technical solution. They need someone they can call on to explain data protect best practices, who can assist in the implementation of encryption and key management, and who can help them stay competitive in their markets. The last thing an ISV needs is to integrate some expensive technology into their solutions and then find themselves at a competitive disadvantage. I am proud of our partner program and its focus on making sure our partners are successful both in their technology initiatives, and in their businesses, too.

This will be our first year at the HIMSS conference in Las Vegas, but we are bringing a lot of experience in the medical segment to the show.  I hope you find the show interesting and helpful, and that you come by our booth (#14124).

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Topics: HITECH, HIPAA, Trade Shows