Imprivata Announces Secure Texting Application for Healthcare

Imprivata, the leader in secure access and collaboration solutions for healthcare, announced Imprivata CorText, the first texting application designed by physicians, for physicians, in collaboration with acute care hospitals. Until now, strict security regulations surrounding protected health information (PHI) have precluded healthcare providers – and patients – from the benefits of quick, convenient data sharing via text. Imprivata CorText has been developed as the result of strong demand from within Imprivata’s base of 900 healthcare customers and is built on technology and intellectual property acquired from Validus Medical Systems in 2011.

“Whether it’s to request a consult or to send an image of an EKG to a cardiologist, today’s care providers require a secure and convenient way to collaborate electronically,” said Sean Kelly, M.D., Chief Medical Officer for Imprivata. “Unlike other texting products which have been built for consumers, we’ve worked with acute care hospitals and physicians to design Imprivata CorText to meet the needs of hospital administration and clinicians alike. Based on Imprivata’s 10-year track record for streamlining secure clinical workflows, doctors and nurses will appreciate how easy Imprivata CorText is to use; CIOs will sleep better at night knowing that it’s secure.”

Imprivata CorText enables hospitals to provide their physicians and clinicians with an easy, convenient and secure texting solution built for specific clinical workflows. Examples include:

Second opinions/Photos. With Imprivata CorText, physicians can instantly and securely collaborate with each other by sending images of clinical exam findings, EKGs, and radiological studies. Patients benefit from an expanded range of expertise contributing to their treatment.

Patient discharge process. Physician to nurse communication regarding discharge instructions often results in follow-up questions which must be addressed and confirmed before discharge can take place. With CorText nurses and physicians can securely communicate real-time via text. This allows for a more efficient, streamlined approach than traditional communication tools such as voice or pager.

Prescription clarification. Hospital pharmacists must communicate with physicians in order to clarify and/or confirm prescriptions. The ability to text this information, without the risk of a security breach, saves time and speeds patient service.

Care providers have consistently experienced challenges in accessing and communicating with colleagues in a secure and timely manner. While consumer-based texting applications are widely used in business and personal communications, government regulations such as the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) privacy rule in the U.S., prohibit physicians and clinicians from texting PHI.

“Clinicians regularly carry pagers along with their personal mobile phones. They get an alert on one and communicate on the other, resulting in a cumbersome experience and inefficient workflow,” stated Barry Runyon, Research Vice President at Gartner. “As the personal adoption of smartphones in healthcare increases, Gartner expects healthcare delivery organizations (HDO) to converge on a single device for codes, calls, alerts and collaboration. To support this transition, HDOs must enforce appropriate levels of privacy, security and compliance around protected health information while enabling collaborative clinical workflows that enhance care delivery.”

Imprivata CorText will be generally available in June 2012 for iPhone, Android and Blackberry smartphones. For information on becoming a Beta Site, click here or visit the Imprivata booth (#3160) at the HIMSS12 Annual Conference & Exhibition opening today in Las Vegas.

To learn more about Imprivata, visit www.imprivata.com .

About Imprivata
With more than 2 million users and 900 healthcare customers, Imprivata is the no. 1 provider of secure access and collaboration solutions for healthcare. By strengthening user authentication, streamlining application access and simplifying compliance reporting across multiple computing environments, customers realize improved workflows, increased security and compliance with government regulations.

Imprivata has received numerous product awards and top review ratings from leading industry publications and analysts, including a Strong Positive rating in Gartner’s 2011 Marketscope for ESSO, the #1 ranking in the KLAS SSO Performance report and the #1 rating in 2010 Best in KLAS and Category Leaders report. Headquartered in Lexington, Mass., Imprivata partners with over 200 resellers, and serves the access security and collaboration needs of customers around the world. For more information, visit www.imprivata.com or follow on Twitter at @Imprivata.