SCM Microsystems' eHealth100 Terminal First to Receive GEMATIK Qualification for Use with German Electronic Health Card
July 05 2007 - 3:30AM
PR Newswire (US)
Terminals now approved for use by doctors, pharmacies and hospitals
in field trials FREMONT, Calif., July 5 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ --
SCM Microsystems, Inc. (Nasdaq: SCMM; Prime Standard: SMY), a
leading provider of solutions that open the Digital World, today
announced that its eHealth100 is the first health card terminal to
receive approval for participation in release 1 of the field tests
of the electronic health card program in Germany. The German
e-Health card program is the largest electronic healthcare project
in the world to date, with planned deployment of 82 million
electronic health insurance cards and thousands of health provider
cards over the next few years. According to the gematik, which is
the organization overseeing the implementation of the eHealth card
program in Germany, SCM's eHealth100 terminal is compliant with
gematik specification 1.1.0 for terminals for the program and
fulfills all requirements for the secure use of the electronic
healthcard. In addition, the terminal is compliant with SICCT
(Secure Interoperable Chip Card Terminal) specification V1.03 -- a
catalogue of requirements for smart card terminals used in the
German eHealth program's secure network, or "telematics"
infrastructure. The SICCT specification was developed by the IT
industry organization TeleTrusT e.V., in close relationship with
gematik. Having successfully passed all technical and laboratory
trials, the eHealth100 can now be used in field trials with actual
healthcare system users as part of the testing process of the
electronic health card. SCM's eHealth100 terminal was developed
specifically for use with the electronic health card in Germany. It
is based on the latest available processor technology and
incorporates ergonomic features that anticipate frequent use by
general practitioners, pharmacists and therapists, as well as other
healthcare professionals. The terminal can be used with all card
types of the new German health care telematics, including the
electronic health card, which will be issued to insured individuals
in Germany; the health professional card (HPC), which allows every
professional in the health care sector to securely access and edit
patient data; and the Secure Module Card (SMC) in ID-000 format for
secure data communication. In addition, it also reads and operates
with Germany's current health card. The terminal's design allows
for future applications currently planned. For example, using
additional optional devices such as a fingerprint reader,
healthcare providers will be able to authenticate themselves in the
telematics network on a daily basis, rather than patient by
patient, by providing a so called "convenience signature." In
addition, mobile access to the telematics network is also planned,
which would facilitate home healthcare visits and mobile rescue
missions. SCM plans to develop enhanced terminals to address these
new applications and others once gematik specifications are
available. "The gematik qualification of the first health card
terminals for the e- Health program is an important milestone for
the introduction of the electronic health card in Germany. SCM
Microsystems again has demonstrated its leading role in the
development of new technologies for secure access," said Dietmar
Wendling, Vice President Marketing of SCM Microsystems. "Not only
does the eHealth100 terminal address the stringent requirements of
this new program, but the next-generation design of the reader
prevents obsolescence, helping to protect the significant
investments that will be made. Already, many pharmacy, healthcare
provider and hospital systems in Germany have integrated our
terminal in their administrative solutions." The German eHealth
Program Telematics Network Telematics is a secure network through
which information about patients and their care, such as diagnostic
findings and treatments, can be shared. As the central nervous
system of the German e-health card initiative, the telematic
network is expected to connect all doctors, pharmacists, hospitals,
medical facilities and insurance companies within Germany. About
SCM Microsystems SCM Microsystems is a leading supplier of
solutions that open the Digital World by enabling people to
conveniently access digital content and services. The company
develops, markets and sells the industry's broadest range of smart
card reader technology for secure PC, network and physical access
and digital media readers for transfer of digital content to OEM
customers in the government, financial, enterprise, consumer
electronics and photographic equipment markets worldwide. Global
headquarters are in Ismaning, Germany. For additional information,
visit the SCM Microsystems web site at http://www.scmmicro.com/.
DATASOURCE: SCM Microsystems, Inc. CONTACT: Annika Oelsner,
+49-89-9595-5220, , or Darby Dye, +1-510-249-4883, , both of SCM
Microsystems, Inc. Web site: http://www.scmmicro.com/
Copyright