SCM Microsystems Enters German Healthcard Terminal Market
March 10 2005 - 2:30AM
PR Newswire (US)
SCM Microsystems Enters German Healthcard Terminal Market CeBIT,
HANOVER, Germany and FREMONT, Calif., March 10
/PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- SCM Microsystems, Inc. (Nasdaq: SCMM;
Prime Standard: SMY), a leading provider of solutions that open the
Digital World, today announced plans to enter the market for
hardware terminals designed to read the new German electronic
healthcard. The announcement was made at the CeBIT exhibition in
Hanover, where SCM is showing prototypes of the new terminal for
doctors and pharmacies from March 10 to 16, 2005 in hall 17, Booth
# A01 (47). SCM will also demonstrate the new terminal at the
booths of its partners, Giesecke & Devrient, Booth # D28 in
hall 17 and IBM and Giesecke & Devrient, Booth # C52/1 in hall
9. Germany is in the process of deploying a new intelligent,
electronic healthcard to its citizens throughout the country. 80
million intelligent healthcards are expected to be in use by 2006.
The new chip-based healthcards are intended to bring greater
efficiency and cost control to the German healthcare system while
safeguarding confidential patient-related data. The healthcards
will also require a new terminal infrastructure for healthcare
providers. Beginning in the fourth quarter of 2005, 1.2 million
terminals will be shipped to doctors and dentists' offices,
pharmacies, clinics and hospitals in Germany. SCM's new terminal
solution will read and operate both with Germany's current memory
card-based healthcard as well as with the new intelligent
chip-based healthcard. The SCM terminal can be connected via USB or
a serial interface to stand-alone PCs or alternatively the
terminals can be used in a network environment within or between
doctors' offices, pharmacies and hospitals. SCM Microsystems will
participate in this market together with its partners. "SCM brings
years of experience in serving sensitive market segments with
highly secure smart card reader solutions," said Robert Schneider,
chief executive officer of SCM Microsystems. "The German
intelligent healthcard program has the potential for significant
savings in money, time and perhaps even lives. We are working
closely with our partners to implement the complex technologies
required to address this important new application and we look
forward to participating in this market as healthcare facilities
begin their deployments late this year." Within the new German
healthcard program three different types of cards will be used: the
electronic healthcard for people covered by their health insurance,
a health professional card (HPC) for doctors and pharmacists and a
secure module card (SMC) in a SIM card form factor. SCM's terminals
are designed to read all three types of cards. In addition to a
savings potential of one billion Euros from the streamlining of
processing between medical practices and health insurance
companies, a major goal of the new healthcard system is to increase
the quality and transparency of healthcare transactions for
patients. The new intelligent healthcard system will facilitate
applications such as ePrescription, access to emergency data and
the Electronic Patient Record (EPR) as well as support for disease
management programs. Protecting patient data is also critical, and
will be accomplished through strong authentication of cardholders,
using mechanisms such as a private PIN code. About SCM Microsystems
SCM Microsystems is a leading supplier of solutions that open the
Digital World by enabling people to securely access digital content
and services. The company develops markets and sells its smart card
reader technology for network and physical access and conditional
access modules for secure digital TV decryption to OEM customers in
the government, financial, enterprise and broadcasting markets
worldwide. Global headquarters are in Fremont, California, with
European headquarters in Ismaning, Germany. For additional
information, visit the SCM Microsystems web site at
http://www.scmmicro.com/. NOTE: All company and/or product names
are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective
manufacturers. DATASOURCE: SCM Microsystems, Inc. CONTACT: Dr.
Manfred Muller of SCM Microsystems, +49 89 9595 5140, or ; or Deb
Montner of Montner & Associates, +1-203-226-9290, or , for SCM
Microsystems, Inc. Web site: http://www.scmmicro.com/
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