WASHINGTON, DC--(Marketwired - May 19, 2015) - Virtru, the company that makes it easy for anyone to keep digital information private, today announced Virtru Pro for the healthcare industry: a cost-effective, easy-to-use, HIPAA-compliant email service. Now, healthcare payers and providers can better serve patients, employees and other constituents by easily protecting data while avoiding the high cost and complexity of health portals or Electronic Medical Record (EMR) and Electronic Health Record (EHR) systems.
Data breaches cost the healthcare industry more than $7 billion a year, accounting for nearly 43 percent of all data breaches in 2014, according to the Identity Theft Resource Center. It comes as no surprise that a recent study by the Pew Research Center found Americans consider privacy and security of their health information a top concern. While hospital medical record systems include a secure messaging component, physician practices, government agencies, and other organizations that share personal, Protected Health Information (PHI) need simpler, more affordable email communications solutions. This is especially true for small to mid-sized practices with fewer financial or IT resources available.
As the healthcare industry moves to cloud-based email services like Google Apps for Work and Microsoft Office 365, security and HIPAA compliance are a top concern. As a result, Virtru saw a majority (75 percent) of incoming inquires and users representing, or working with the healthcare industry, during its beta period. With Virtru Pro, organizations can easily send and receive secure, HIPAA-compliant encrypted emails, revoke sent messages, restrict forwarding, and set expiry for emails and files to auto delete. Confidential information remains private, audit ready, and protected, and the risk of forwarding is eliminated, while added controls determine how information is viewed and shared.
Massena Memorial Hospital (MMH) is a general medical and surgical hospital in Massena, New York, with more than 50 physicians in over 15 specialties. As a healthcare organization servicing thousands of patients, Massena relies on technology to maintain the immense amount of data created and managed by the hospital daily. "We needed a simple, affordable email communications solution that would allow us to maintain the security of sensitive patient, provider and employee information, while also maintaining HIPAA compliance," said Abraham Day, Network Administrator, Massena Memorial Hospital. "Virtru Pro integrates seamlessly with our existing email system and has given us the control we need, so our teams can continue to provide excellence in patient care without privacy concerns."
Riverside Anesthesia Associates is a 50-physician group in central Pennsylvania that provides anesthesia services for three acute care hospitals and six surgery centers, so having secure email communications is essential. "Google Apps was already the chosen resource for our practice, and Virtru allows us to add end-to-end encryption directly within it," said Dr. Clark Venable, M.D., Riverside Anesthesia Associates. "What's great is that I didn't need to add new processes, login IDs or passwords. Virtru Pro works easily and effectively within my daily routine, and I don't worry when sharing sensitive information."
With Virtru Pro, an entire organization can easily send and receive secure, HIPAA-compliant encrypted emails, revoke sent messages, restrict forwarding, and set expiry for emails and files to auto delete, so confidential information remains private, audit ready, and protected. The risk of patient data being inadvertently forwarded is eliminated, and added controls enable physicians to determine how patients' information is viewed and shared. Virtru Pro also helps organizations move toward satisfying Meaningful Use for EHR, as set forth by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, and ensures email communications are secure, protected and integrated into the tools and processes used daily by physicians, administrators and patients, including:
- Provider-to-provider communications including consult results, CT scans, diagnostic images, prescriptions and scheduling information;
- Provider-to-patient communications including appointment scheduling, procedure preparation information and results; and
- Patient-to-patient communications, such as the connection of patients who share a condition and can support each other as physicians offer group care.
"Protecting private information is at the core of what we do at Virtru, and nothing is more sensitive than medical information," said John Ackerly, CEO and Co-Founder of Virtru. "Until now, it's been hard for healthcare organizations and government agencies to protect PHI and comply with HIPAA. We're changing that with Virtru Pro, and our approach is resonating with organizations of all sizes."
Visit www.virtru.com to learn more about Virtru or to start a 14-day free trial. Independent software vendors interested in exploring opportunities with Virtru should contact partners@virtru.com
About Virtru
Virtru is the first company to make email privacy accessible to everyone. With a single plug-in, Virtru empowers individuals and businesses to control who receives, reviews, and retains their digital information -- wherever it travels, throughout its lifespan. The company has set a new standard for digital privacy based on the Trusted Data Format (TDF), created by Virtru Co-Founder Will Ackerly and used by the intelligence community to secure some of the nation's most sensitive data. Virtru requires no special skills or knowledge, supports all popular email and file types, and can be used on a PC, Mac or mobile device. To learn more about the company, visit http://www.virtru.com/ and follow @virtruprivacy on Twitter.