NW_20000926_en_Federal Computer Week, September 26, 2000_ "DOD Awards Deal to Secure Medical Data"
The Defense Department has awarded a contract for the infrastructure to ensure the privacy and security of patient records in the Military Health System.
Integic Corp., an e-business solutions provider to government, won a six-year, $7.3 million contract in the Composite Health Care System II, DOD announced Tuesday.
Integic will build a secure infrastructure for CHCS II by integrating SnareWorks security software from VASCO Data Security Inc. into DOD’s public-key infrastructure, said Larry Albert, senior vice president and health care practice leader at Integic.
The contract also includes maintenance and an enterprisewide software license.
When fully deployed, CHCS II will enable a physician, nurse or other medical provider to obtain a patient’s complete medical record at any of the 105 worldwide points of service in the Military Health System.
The security features being built in by Integic and VASC0 also comply with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), which mandates the protection of electronic medical records, Albert said.
"We’ve completed and passed the design, test and evaluation stage and are moving into the operational, test and evaluation phase at three sites," Albert said. "This will let users work with it, and we can collect feedback" in preparation for a worldwide launch in early 2001.
According to Jonathan Chinitz, vice president and general manager at VASCO, SnareWorks helps ensure the privacy and security of patient records through:
· Encryption on every database.
· Digital signature technology.
· Single sign on throughout the enterprise.
· The ability to assign access controls at many levels.
"We want to brand this entire solution as HIPAA-certified, where the spillover into the commercial space is tremendous," Chinitz said. "This project has a life of its own and will be funded, and there’s tremendous opportunity as we move forward into the HIPPA age."
In addition to many customers within DOD, Chantilly, Va.-Integic also serves the Federal Aviation Administration.
VASCO, based in Oakbrook Terrace, Ill., counts DOD and NASA as federal customers and is hoping its partnership with Integic will expand its customer base in both the public and private sectors, Chinitz said.