Smartcard technology provider, Assa Abloy Identification Technologies Group, has received approval from Gematik to participate in phase one of field tests of the electronic health card programme in Germany.
The company’s smartcard terminal, is claimed to be the only one that supports contact free radio frequency identification device (RFID) authentication, enabling health professionals to securely log-on without entering a PIN.
Omnikey CardMan e-Health 8751 LAN, is now a certified product including the support for the mandatory “Null-PIN” function (Gematik SRQ 0558) which allows initial setting of a PIN for newly shipped health cards.
Assa Abloy ITG becomes the second company to receive Gematik approval. SCM Microsystems announced they had received initial approval last month.
An Assa Abloy ITG spokesperson told E-Health Europe: “The e-health infrastructure consists of three components – the Patient Data Card, a PIN secured smart card with microprocessor and cryptographic functions. It contains the patient’s insurance data and is the key to the medication history that is either stored on the card or in the background system. It also serves as an information medium to carry the e-prescriptions."
The spokesperson added: “Also, the Health Professional Card, which physicians and pharmacists use to gain access to the patient’s records after the patient’s approval and can add their medication to the records. In addition they can issue e-prescriptions with a digital signature, and finally, there is the background system, which could store all medical data or serve as an authentication tool to check the validity of the card."
The terminal is now being deployed in the broad-based live trial of the German Electronic Health Card. In phase one, the so-called 10,000 test, users in pharmacies, medical practices and clinics are currently testing the components of the health project infrastructure, including the electronic health card and the terminal.
Using a thin client core, the terminal supports secure local area network access to terminal functions, a 16-key PIN pad with display and a secure web interface for configuration. The terminal has four contact and one proximity RFID reader interfaces.
Assa Abloy ITG claim that it is the only device on the market with an integrated contactless (RFID) reader which is able to support the proposed ‘convenience signature’ (Komfort Signatur).
The propsoed convenience signature, enabled by an RFID token brought into close proximity of the reader, would allow the health care professional to identify themselves without having to enter a PIN number.
The certified product is a working prototype, with the final product scheduled for the official start of the new e-health environment in Q3 2008.
Links
Gematik specification for health cards