NEC Extends Patient Data Management Capabilities for Healthcare Providers; New NEC TouchPass -- Patient Data Manager Provides Secure, Integrated Access to Patient Information From Any Clinical Workstation.

SAN DIEGO -- Today, NEC announced TouchPass(R) -- Patient Data Manager that simplifies access to electronic patient records and streamlines clinical workflow for healthcare providers at the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS) Annual Conference and Exhibition, held February 12-16, at the San Diego Convention Center.

NEC's latest solution offering comes as a result of its relationship with Carefx(TM), the industry's only provider of an open and scalable Patient Information Aggregation platform. NEC's TouchPass -- Patient Data Manager synchronizes patient information displayed within disparate healthcare applications and systems at the clinical desktop, providing clinicians with instant access to view complete patient information among these applications with just one click. TouchPass -- Patient Data Manager minimizes administrative time navigating through applications to search for relevant patient information, and eliminates confusion and mistakes in selecting patient records, resulting in higher clinical productivity and improved patient safety.

When combined with NEC's TouchPass -- Secure Single Sign-On technology, TouchPass -- Patient Data Manager allows for a single point of authentication for Web, client/server and legacy applications, delivering a whole new level of security in conjunction with the benefits of patient and application integration. The combined solution removes unnecessary logon and time spent manually navigating patient data between multiple and disparate applications, thus reducing clinician frustration.

"Streamlined workflow and improved patient care are top priorities within the healthcare industry, and NEC's healthcare solutions provide tools that help hospitals, physicians, and payer organizations improve efficiency, enhance communication, and maximize safety and quality of care," said Lauryn Jones, general manager, Healthcare Solutions Division, NEC Solutions America. "As hospitals increasingly adopt technology to assist with daily functions, management of applications and security of electronic records can disrupt clinician workflow and create a window for mistakes in environments that already demand the highest level of precision. NEC's TouchPass -- Patient Data Manager is designed to provide caregivers with secure and easy access to integrated patient data, creating a more efficient process for healthcare providers."

Hospitals and healthcare providers now work with an increasing number of patients, creating a need for streamlined information management systems that comply with government regulations to ensure patient safety and, ultimately, improve patient care. Strict government regulations require procedures to be put in place for managing patient information and ensuring only specific people can view various sets of data, which both increases costs and administrative time. TouchPass -- Patient Data Manager addresses this growing challenge within the healthcare industry by providing secure, unified access to different applications, and clinical data at the point of care.

Additionally, TouchPass -- Patient Data Manager features a comprehensive record audit capability, which allows facilities to see when and by whom patient records were accessed and altered -- a functionality critical for compliance purposes. NEC's TouchPass -- Patient Data Manager is one of the healthcare market's only software tools that integrates patient data between different applications while offering such an audit capability.

"NEC is committed to bringing to the healthcare market reliable, affordable solutions that address real-world priorities including operational efficiency, improved patient safety, and compliance," said Phil Scarfo, senior vice president, NEC Solutions America. "By marrying improved access to patient information and biometric security, NEC takes another solid step forward in delivering on that commitment."

NEC TouchPass -- Patient Data Manager Solution Highlights

--Simplified access to patient data -- delivering a synchronized view of patient information housed in different applications

--Accelerated user adoption through improved workflow -- user log-on and application navigation occurs automatically, delivering relevant data to the clinician immediately without having to change the user experience

--Improved decision-making -- presenting caregivers with relevant patient information rapidly and securely, preventing delay due to repetitious and tedious processes

--Increased user satisfaction -- no more fumbling through disparate applications and remembering multiple user ID and passwords

--Optimized IT investment -- utilizing a robust and open architecture, TouchPass works with existing applications and IT infrastructure and can easily scale to support your long-term growth strategies

--Secure Single Sign-On -- combining with NEC's TouchPass -- Secure Single Sign-On solution enables quick access to authorized applications by using only a single password, finger biometrics, token or HID or smartcard

--Enhanced patient safety -- using a single Master Patient Index (MPI) or individual application patient indices, proper patient mapping ensures the right patient data is displayed within each separate application, eliminating the chance of selecting the wrong patient

--Strengthened patient confidentiality -- comprehensive, centralized audit functionalities for HIPAA compliance

Availability

NEC's TouchPass -- Patient Data Manager for healthcare is available now. To schedule a Web demonstration or to speak to an NEC representative directly, contact the Healthcare Solutions Division at 866-216-0089 or [e-mail].

About Carefx

Carefx is the only provider of an open and scalable Patient Information Aggregation platform that provides clinicians real-time access to information residing in disparate applications. Fusion from Carefx(TM) aids clinicians with sleek, intuitive and flexible access to patient information and satisfies IT imperatives by fully leveraging legacy investments within an open architecture. Carefx is the preferred partner to leading infrastructure and application vendors, including Cerner, GE Medical Systems, McKesson, Siemens Medical Solutions, IBM, Novell, CA, and NEC. For more information about Carefx, visit www.carefx.com.

About NEC in North America 

NEC is a recognized global leader in serving businesses and people worldwide with innovative technology for more than 100 years. By leveraging its 65-year heritage as a major provider of voice and IT network infrastructure and systems integrations, NEC delivers a complete suite of technology solutions; from converged voice & data networks, imaging displays, identity management and comprehensive privacy and enterprise security solutions to thousands of leading healthcare, education, hospitality, financial and other business enterprises across North America.

NEC's Healthcare Focus

NEC maintains a strong presence in the North American healthcare industry offering products, applications and services that empower its customers to align technology solutions with their business goals and process to enhance clinical workflow and accelerate user adoption. Healthcare solution offerings range from medical imaging displays to self-service patient registration kiosks to identity management solutions and comprehensive patient privacy systems, to integrated voice and data networks. More information about NEC's healthcare offerings can be found at www.necsam.com/healthcare.

NEC is a registered trademark of NEC Corporation. TouchPass is a registered trademark of NEC Solutions (America), Inc. Other product or service names mentioned herein are the trademarks of their respective owners. (C) 2006 NEC Solutions (America), Inc. All Rights Reserved.