Healthwise Earns Certified Status for Data Security and Protection of Health Information

BOISE, ID--(Marketwired - Apr 7, 2015) - Hundreds of hospitals, clinics, and health plans trust Healthwise to help them send patient-specific health education to their patients and members so they can make better health decisions. These organizations also count on Healthwise to keep all personal health information secure and private. To honor that trust, Healthwise a nonprofit expert in health education and technology, has applied to and has earned the Common Security Framework (CSF) Certified status from Health Information Trust (HITRUST) Alliance. The CSF standards incorporate multiple security requirements under federal and state laws applicable to organizations maintaining electronic protected health information (ePHI).

"As protectors of the privacy and security of health information, the HITRUST CSF has certified that we meet their high standards," said Neal Benz, Healthwise chief technology officer. "Trust is not only important to the organizations that license our solutions, but it's critical to the millions of people who use our tools and information to make better health decisions every day."

The HITRUST CSF Certified status confirms the rigorous and high security standards of electronic protected health information (ePHI). The HITRUST CSF Assessor, Coalfire, audited Healthwise-hosted products and Firehost, Healthwise's cloud host and HITRUST-certified partner.

The Healthwise solutions and the delivery option that achieved CSF Certified status are:

• Healthwise® Care Management Solution
• Healthwise® Patient Engagement Solution
• Healthwise® Hosted Knowledgebase
• Healthwise Hosted Integration API
  
  

"Obtaining CSF Certified status distinguishes Healthwise as a system that people can count on to keep their information safe," said Ken Vander Wal, HITRUST chief compliance officer.

About Healthwise

Healthwise is a nonprofit organization with a mission to help people make better health decisions. In 2014, Healthwise merged with the Informed Medical Decisions Foundation to further advance the mission. People have turned to Healthwise information more than 1.5 billion times to learn how to do more for themselves, ask for the care they need, and say "no" to the care they don't need. Healthwise partners with hospitals, electronic medical record (EMR) providers, health plans, care management companies, and health websites to provide up-to-date, evidence-based information to the people they serve. www.healthwise.org. 1.800.706.9646.

About HITRUST

Founded in 2007, the Health Information Trust Alliance (HITRUST) was born out of the belief that information protection should be a core pillar of, rather than an obstacle to, the broad adoption of health information systems and exchanges. HITRUST -- in collaboration with public and private health care technology, privacy and information security leaders -- has championed programs instrumental in safeguarding health information systems and exchanges while ensuring consumer confidence in their use.

HITRUST programs include the establishment of a common risk and compliance management framework (CSF); an assessment and assurance methodology; educational and career development; advocacy and awareness; and a federally recognized cyber Information Sharing and Analysis Organization (ISAO) and supporting initiatives. Over 84 percent of hospitals and health plans, as well as many other health care organizations and business associates, use the CSF, making it the most widely adopted security framework in the industry. For more information, visit www.HITRUSTalliance.net.

About Coalfire

Coalfire is a leading, independent information technology Governance, Risk, and Compliance (IT GRC) firm that provides IT audit, risk assessment, and compliance management solutions. Founded in 2001, Coalfire has offices across the U.S. and completes thousands of projects annually in retail, financial services, health care, government, and utilities. Coalfire's solutions are adapted to requirements under emerging data privacy legislation such as the PCI DSS, GLBA, FFIEC, HIPAA/HITECH, NERC CIP, Sarbanes-Oxley, FISMA, and FedRAMP. Coalfire is a HITRUST CSF certified assessor, a Payment Card Industry Qualified Security Assessor (PCI QSA), and a Payment Application-Qualified Security Assessor (PA-QSA). For more information, visit: www.coalfire.com.

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