Verizon Brings IT Security Services to Healthcare Industry

Network World — Verizon Business is extending its Security Management Program services to the healthcare industry to help providers maintain compliance with federal security guidelines.

Health 2.0 Meets Government Stimulus

The new Verizon Security Management Program Health Care (SMP-H) offering was designed to help healthcare organizations maintain their customers’ privacy and comply with federal regulations such as the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) and the Payment Card Industry Security Standard (PCI-DSS).

Top security concerns

The SMP-H analyzes a provider’s security policies and gives them individual grades on a “compliance score card” dashboard that points out both strengths and problem areas. So for instance, while a certain data center might be in compliance with HIPAA regulations, it might not be up to snuff for FDA regulations that require security controls for electronic records.

For its part, Verizon is pitching the SMP-H as a good way for providers to save money by helping them safely digitize their medical records.

“Moving to an electronic-based patient record-keeping system will enable health care providers nationwide to improve patient care, control costs and expand access to critical health care information for patients and physicians alike,” says Kerry Bailey, the senior vice president of global services for Verizon Business.

In addition to its security management program, Verizon is also offering health care providers IT consulting services to “design and implement safe security practices for the sharing of information and the storage of data.” Verizon has been certified by the Health Information Trust Alliance consortium as a qualified health IT consultant.

The new offerings are just one part of Verizon Business’s health care services segment. The company also offers services for telemedicine, healthcare mobility and healthcare information management.