Digital Medical Systems Chooses Siemens Directory for Internet Healthcare Solutions; New Security Strategies Help Providers Share Confidential Medical Information

Business Wire, Jan 20, 1999

BURLINGTON, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jan. 20, 1999--Digital Medical Systems (DMS), a leader in secure Internet healthcare solutions, has selected the Siemens DirX MetaHub directory for its information networks connecting medical providers with healthcare organizations, patients and payers.

DirX MetaHub allows easy management and storage of digital certificates used to identify authorized users within a public key infrastructure (PKI), providing DMS clients with efficient, secure access to confidential patient information over the Web.

DMS develops and manages secure transaction networks for sharing medical information over low-cost public Internet access lines. The company's solutions integrate applications, content and services to support geographically dispersed healthcare organizations and large numbers of users.

Security is critical, and DMS has addressed the issue using a PKI from Entrust Technologies that provides users with secure access to content and applications. Within the PKI framework, DirX MetaHub allows easy storage and management of thousands of digital certificates representing authorized users from many healthcare organizations.

Chosen Over the Bundled Product

DMS chose DirX MetaHub over another well-known directory that was bundled with the PKI software. The decision was made after the company tested the two directories head to head. The results are compelling.

"For efficiency and sheer ease of use in large, complex organizational structures, the Siemens directory won hands down," reports Scott Armstrong, Senior Network/Security administrator at DMS. "We set it up in five minutes. The graphical tree shows every level of the directory, which makes selecting and modifying objects totally intuitive. It's much more user friendly than the other product, which required wading through lines of script.

"System administrators - especially those new to public key security -- will find that potentially complex tasks are actually very straightforward thanks to DirX MetaHub," adds Justin Kromelow, Chief Technology Officer at DMS. "Security is a hot topic in healthcare networks, and the management tools help make the transition to PKI an easy one."

"DMS provides living proof of the power of the Web, with innovative software applications utilizing the DirX MetaHub directory and Entrust PKI to enable a secure environment. The cost savings for large healthcare providers can be in the millions of dollars," commented Brian Bigley, Director of Sales and Marketing for IP Applications, Siemens Information and Communications Networks.

"We're teaming with DMS to solve a big problem for health care providers: cost effectively managing large numbers of distributed users so they can easily access medical information while protecting the privacy of patient data."

Total Flexibility for Large Organizations

DMS is currently implementing a secure solution with DirX MetaHub for a leading physician practice management firm. When a physician logs on, the system will check their access rights as defined in the directory, then display a web page with authorized functions and applications -- all transparently to the user.

The system provides tremendous flexibility in defining access rights, which could be restricted to a particular facility and specialty, or span affiliated healthcare organizations nationwide. The system will also support cross-certification for third party users with an approved PKI, enabling the creation of secure web-based communities of physicians.

DirX MetaHub operates across computing platforms and operating systems, allowing users in diverse environments to work together without compromising security. This flexibility also allows the directory to be deployed in flexible configurations such as clustering on multiple servers for high availability.

DirX MetaHub is one of the first directory products to receive Entrust Directory Solution branding. Siemens is an Entrust Directory Partner, a status achieved after Siemens submitted their X.500 directory for rigorous testing to ensure interoperability with Entrust PKI software.

About Digital Medical Systems

Digital Medical Systems is a Web-based development and service company focused on meeting the connectivity, communication and medical application needs of physician oriented organizations including health plans, physician practice management companies and independent physician associations. In addition to providing connectivity to the web, Digital Medical System's @digimed.com product suite provides physicians access to clinical guidelines, outcomes measurements, and medical management and reporting applications.

About Siemens Information and Communication Networks

Siemens Information and Communication Networks Inc., headquartered in Boca Raton, Fla., is a leading provider of information and telecommunications solutions to public network service providers and enterprise customers in North America. The company is a subsidiary of Siemens AG, a global business with $64 billion in sales in the fiscal year ended September 1997. Home page http: www.siemensmeta.com