New Smart Card Alliance White Paper Provides Healthcare CFOs With Guide To Smart Cards

PRESS RELEASE

PRINCETON JUNCTION, N.J., February 12, 2009 " Healthcare CFOs have a new resource to turn to when evaluating the return on investment for implementing smart card technology within their organizations. A new white paper released today from the Smart Card Alliance Healthcare Council outlines some of the major challenges faced by healthcare CFOs and discusses how smart card technology can provide innovative, practical and cost-effective solutions.

"Healthcare CFOs are looking for solutions that can help to reduce costs, but that also increase revenue and improve patient and physician satisfaction. This white paper has been created specifically for CFOs that are weighing the potential benefits of new and emerging technology and looking for solutions that can save time, effort, resources, and, most importantly, lives," said Paul Contino, the chair of the Smart Card Alliance Healthcare Council, and the vice president of information technology at Mount Sinai Medical Center. The white paper, "A Healthcare CFO's Guide to Smart Card Technology and Applications," is available for download at http://www.smartcardalliance.org/pages/activities-councils-healthcare.

"Most in the industry agree that technology is essential for healthcare reform, not only to meet regulatory requirements, but to streamline administrative activities and reduce costs. As a result, smart card use in the U.S. healthcare sector has grown significantly over the past few years," said Randy Vanderhoof, executive director of the Smart Card Alliance. "This white paper outlines key areas where smart cards can help healthcare providers reduce cost, improve processes, increase revenue and improve patient care." Included in the white paper are an overview of smart card use worldwide and discussion about how smart cards can be used in healthcare to: Reduce cost Improve patient identification and workflow Reduce claims denials and increase revenue capture Provide authenticated and authorized access to healthcare information Assist with HIPAA compliance, privacy and security requirements Improve facility, network and HIPAA security Provide immediate access to life-saving information Improve patient and physician satisfaction Provide support for a national health information network Healthcare Council members that contributed to the white paper are BearingPoint, Gemalto, IBM, Mount Sinai Medical Center, Oberthur Technologies, OTI America, Privamed, Secure Services Corp., SMART Association, Inc., and TrustBearer Labs. About the Smart Card Alliance Healthcare Council The Healthcare Council is one of several Smart Card Alliance Technology and Industry Councils, a new type of focused group within the overall structure of the Alliance. These councils have been created to foster increased industry collaboration within a particular industry or market segment and produce tangible results, speeding smart card adoption and industry growth. The Smart Card Alliance Healthcare Council brings together payers, providers, and technologists to promote the adoption of smart cards in U.S. healthcare organizations. The Healthcare Council provides a forum where all stakeholders can collaborate to educate the market on the how smart cards can be used for healthcare identity management and to work on issues inhibiting the industry. Healthcare Council participation is open to any Smart Card Alliance member who wishes to contribute to the Council projects. About the Smart Card Alliance The Smart Card Alliance is a not-for-profit, multi-industry association working to stimulate the understanding, adoption, use and widespread application of smart card technology. Through specific projects such as education programs, market research, advocacy, industry relations and open forums, the Alliance keeps its members connected to industry leaders and innovative thought. The Alliance is the single industry voice for smart cards, leading industry discussion on the impact and value of smart cards in the U.S. and Latin America. For more information please visit http://www.smartcardalliance.org.