ISMANING, Germany and FREMONT, Calif., May 18 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- SCM Microsystems, Inc. (Nasdaq: SCMM; Prime Standard, SMY), a leading provider of solutions that open the Digital World, today announced that its eHeatlh500 mobile terminal is one of the first upgradeable mobile devices to receive the required certification for use with the new eHealth cards in stage 2 of the introduction of the electronic health card in Germany.
"With the certification of our mobile terminal, we pave the way for an efficient implementation of the electronic health card throughout Germany," said Dietmar Wendling, vice president e-Government of SCM Microsystems. "Our mobile terminal extends support for the country's new eHealth cards to all patients, not just those who are in a doctor's office or hospital. With our technology-leading mobile and stationary terminals, SCM offers the strongest solutions for healthcare providers as the eHealth program is implemented across all regions of the country."
The certification for SCM's eHealth500 mobile reader comes from gematik (Gesellschaft fur Telematikanwendungen der Gesundheitskarte), the German healthcare organization overseeing the implementation of the country's eHealth program. SCM had previously received gematik certification for its eHealth200 BCS stationary terminals in September 2008.
The eHealth500 mobile terminal can be used by doctors and other healthcare providers to read and temporarily store data on the new German electronic health card (eGK) and the traditional health insurance card (KVK) when away from their medical practice, such as during home visits, in nursing homes and retirement homes. Back in the medical office or hospital, the data can be transferred via a USB interface to the doctor's, pharmacist's or hospital's network for permanent archival. Local network storage of patient data is the goal of the first stage of the German eHealth program. In a second stage, a secure country-wide network will be established, so that data can be appropriately shared among and between medical providers and health insurance companies and agencies.
The eHealth500 mobile terminal fulfils the strict security requirements of the German National Security Agency BSI (Bundesamt fur Sicherheit in der Informationstechnologie). It also enables firmware upgrades to accommodate future updates, which ensures that the terminals will be able to continue to comply with evolving requirements throughout all stages of the German eHealth program. This protects the investment of doctors and other healthcare providers, whose initial purchase of the terminals will also be subsidized by the German health insurance industry. Once the firmware of the mobile terminals has been updated during the planned second phase of the German eHealth program, the terminal will have the capability of not only reading electronic health cards, but also processing health professional cards (HPC) used to authenticate healthcare providers and secure module cards (SMC) utilized for secure data communication. Hence, the terminal can be used as both a mobile and as stationary terminal.
The compact, convenient and pocket calculator-sized terminal has a powerful processor to rapidly access and update data under the complex requirements of the electronic health card. The availability of secure firmware updates allows the highest flexibility and adaptability. The large, high-contrast graphical display shows all relevant patient data as well as device information such as battery status and free storage space. The eHealth500 is easy, intuitive and user configurable. The terminal employs an environment-friendly battery with an automatic charging function to assure continuous availability. It can store up to 200 patient records, and all device settings or patient records are stored in memory, even if the batteries are fully discharged.