Kodak Alaris Deepens Commitment To Secure And Efficient Healthcare Information Management, Joins HIMSS And DirectTrust

Securely and efficiently managing patient information is critical to a healthcare provider’s success; it impacts the entire Continuum of Care, from providers to payers to patients. Government mandates continue to drive adoption of electronic medical records (EMR), but significant gaps remain in how healthcare providers, medical practices and payers securely exchange information. Many providers have not implemented EMR systems and continue to operate via paper-based processes, struggling to manage patient information that originates in unstructured and structured formats.

To help address these challenges, Kodak Alaris has joined two health IT–focused associations that concentrate on solving patient information management issues. As a corporate platinum member of the Health Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS), Kodak Alaris will deepen its knowledge of how best to optimize healthcare outcomes using information technology.

Kodak Alaris also joined DirectTrust, an independent nonprofit association that has established a trusted framework and standards to enable direct secure exchange of patient information. Based on this trust framework, DirectTrust has partnered with the Electronic Healthcare Network Accreditation Commission (EHNAC) to offer an accreditation program for health information service providers (HISPs) and other trusted agents involved in Direct exchange, and has launched a trust anchor bundle distribution service for accredited entities’ use.

“Understanding and supporting health IT initiatives focused on converting unstructured data, making information usable and securely managing patient information are critical as we develop new solutions for healthcare,” said Tony Barbeau, General Manager of Kodak Alaris’ Document Imaging division. “Our involvement with HIMSS and DirectTrust is essential as we ramp up our efforts to drive change and innovation for the healthcare industry.”

“We are excited to welcome the Kodak Alaris team as new members of DirectTrust,” said David C. Kibbe, MD, MBA and President & CEO of DirectTrust. “They represent the type of company that can make the greatest impact on healthcareinformation management, capable of greatly expanding the number of Direct users who will exchange millions of Direct messages and attachments within a secure, identity-validated information network.”

Kodak Alaris will exhibit at booth #8164 at HIMSS14 in Orlando, Feb. 23–26, and host a round table focused on transition of care gaps and emerging standards. The roundtable will feature DirectTrust’s cofounders, Dr. David Kibbe and Brian Ahier.

About Kodak Alaris 
On September 3, 2013, the U.K. Kodak Pension Plan (KPP) completed its acquisition of the KODAK Document Imaging and Personalized Imaging businesses from Eastman Kodak Company and created a new company known as Kodak Alaris. The new company and its name preserve the heritage and legacy of the Kodak brand, while embodying the speed and agility to meet market needs and changes. Kodak Alaris, which is licensed to use the Kodak brand, will focus on strategic, ongoing investments for these businesses to ensure long-term growth and success. The Kodak trademark and trade dress are used under license from Eastman Kodak Company.

About Kodak Alaris’ Document Imaging Division
Kodak Alaris’ Document Imaging solutions enable customers to capture and consolidate data from digital and paper sources,understand and extract valuable insight from the contents, and deliver the right information to the right people at the right time. Our offerings include award-winning scanners, capture and information management software, an expanding range of professional services and industry-leading service and support. With customers ranging from small offices to global operations, Kodak Alaris delivers superior systems and solutions to automate business processes, enhance customer interactions and enable better business decisions. For more information, visit www.kodakalaris.com/go/healthcarenews. 

About DirectTrust
DirectTrust is a nonprofit, competitively neutral, self-regulatory entity created by and for participants in the Direct community, including health information service providers (HISPs), certificate authorities, registration authorities, doctors, patients, and vendors, and supports both provider-to-provider as well as patient-to-provider Direct exchange. The goal of DirectTrust is to develop, promote and, as necessary, help enforce the rules and best practices necessary to maintain security and trustwithin the Direct network, consistent with the HITECH Act and the governance rules for the NwHIN established by ONC. DirectTrust is committed to fostering widespread public confidence in the Direct exchange of health information. For more information, visit www.directtrust.org.

About HIMSS
HIMSS is a global, cause-based, not-for-profit organization focused on better health through information technology (IT). HIMSSleads efforts to optimize health engagements through thought leadership, education, events, market research and media services around the world. Founded in 1961, HIMSS encompasses more than 52,000 individuals, of which more than two-thirds work in healthcare provider, governmental and not-for-profit organizations across the globe, plus over 600 corporations and 250 not-for-profit partner organizations that share this cause. HIMSS, headquartered in Chicago, serves the global health IT community with additional offices in the United States, Europe, and Asia. For more information, visit www.himss.org.