A new type of email tool was introduced at HIMSS 2006 this week called Secure eMail, which is designed to help reduce some of the headaches faced by healthcare facilities trying to protect sensitive information, and meet standards obligations. The product comes from Secured eMail Ltd., a company that has made tackling security needs for email and electronic messaging for the healthcare industry its business.
   
Secured eMail works by using three encryption technologies to keep patient data private and secure for senders, recipients, and administrators that does not require the use of cumbersome public key codes.
   
The company has broken out what it feels are key challenges faced by the healthcare industry regarding conventional email and communication:

• Normal email doesn't meet HIPAA requirements;
• Email security utilizing PKI technology is expensive to purchase, maintain, and use;  
• Healthcare industry does not have effective way to communicate electronically; and
• The healthcare industry has been forced to spend considerable resources to communicate patient data in compliance with HIPAA privacy and security regulations.

"Our goal is to improve productivity for the entire healthcare industry by providing the world's most advanced and secure email encryption system for both internal and external electronic communications, but in a way that complies with HIPAA and is easy to use and administer for everyone involved," said Peter Davin, CEO, Secured eMail. "Now healthcare professionals can focus more on helping patients and be able work more efficiently with one another."