New Siemens Healthcare Security Solution Helps to Free Up Clinical Personnel for More Patient Care and Greater Efficiencies

BOCA RATON, Fla., Feb. 24 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Siemens Information and Communication Networks, Inc., a subsidiary of Siemens AG introduced both its HiPath(TM) SIcurity(R) clinic card, for easy-to-use hospital-wide access to buildings and IT systems, and its HiPath DirX (R)Compact solution for healthcare that helps simplify security management with centralized user and password administration. These powerful healthcare security solutions debuted today in the Siemens exhibit (#5036) at the Healthcare Information Management and Systems Society (HIMSS) 2004 Conference and Exhibition being held Feb. 22-26, 2004 in Orlando, Fla.

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With the HiPath SIcurity clinic card, a hospital or clinic can give each of its employees, including physicians, nurses and all other staff, an easy- to-use, multi-function smart card that can double as an identification badge and help with the compliance of the facility's physical and IT system security measures.

At the Nebraska Heart Hospital in Lincoln, Neb., CIO Doug Colburn reported that the HiPath SIcurity clinic card has been a welcome addition to the facility. The hospital opened in May 2003 with pervasive digital technologies, including the Siemens smart card solution, to help relieve staff of administrative burdens so they can focus on patient care. Test results, for example, are reported directly to patient's electronic medical charts, which are accessible from every PC in the hospital -- and nearly every room has a PC.

"The Siemens clinic card provides a secure, multi-functional picture ID for every employee, giving them single sign-on to all of the hospital's medical and business applications," Colburn said. "It also provides building access and even cafeteria checkout. Most employees haven't had an ID badge like this before, and every one of them loves its convenience."

"Few people would dispute the need for security, especially in hospitals," said Chris Meaney, director of the Secure Networks Solutions business unit of Siemens Information and Communication Networks, Inc. "Historically, there has been a tradeoff between complying with security requirements and getting your job done. Siemens has turned that tradeoff inside out. Now hospitals can actually expect better security while enabling their staff to more effectively manage clinical workflows."

For example, employees as well as visitors can be issued these smart cards to access specific buildings or even floors or rooms in buildings, depending on their access privileges. These privileges can now be centrally administered according to specific hospital roles via the HiPath DirX Compact healthcare solution. An electronic purse function also can serve as a source of digital cash or as a debit card, deducting personal, onsite purchases of food, meals, supplies and services from employees' pay.

Hospitals can use the HiPath SIcurity clinic card to allow employees fast and easy access to PCs, workstations and all other devices that may need secure logons. With this approach, security does not get in the way of their work. Because the smart cards authenticate users, employees don't need to remember different, complex passwords that must be changed periodically; they just use their cards to begin their sessions.

What's more, HiPath SIcurity clinic card supports roaming users and desk- sharing. It also integrates with most PC-based clinical applications. This means that highly mobile hospital personnel, such as therapy specialists or doctors making rounds, can freely move from ward to ward, floor to floor, or even building to building and, after swiping their card through the reader of a PC or medical device, can initiate a user session that picks up where the last one left off.

Support of digital signatures is another important feature, especially for hospitals and doctors taking advantage of the emerging use of electronic prescriptions and orders. In addition, when the HiPath SIcurity clinic card is combined with the Siemens Health Services' Health Enterprise Dashboard, end users are provided with a single portal environment to access all clinical information.

For IT administrators, the HiPath DirX Compact healthcare solution helps streamline the management of users and passwords. It provides a single point of bi-directional access and administration to a hospital's total directory information, which may be stored in a variety of directories, databases and systems. This helps keep data consistent and up-to-date, without additional manual effort to keep the information synchronized.

In addition, the HiPath DirX Compact healthcare solution incorporates Siemens technology that grants employees, contractors and visitors building and system access privileges based on their respective roles in the hospital's organization and operation. This can help IT administrators rapidly provision and decommission access rights, potentially lowering the costs of doing so while lowering the risks of not doing so. DirX Compact solution for healthcare is designed to simplify provisioning and password management to Siemens industry-leading health care IT solutions such as Health Enterprise Dashboard, INVISION(R), and Soarian(R).

About Siemens

Siemens AG , headquartered in Munich, is a leading global electronics and engineering company. Siemens and its subsidiaries employ 417,000 people in 192 countries and reported worldwide sales of $80.3 billion in fiscal 2003 (10/1/02 - 9/30/03). The United States is Siemens' largest single market in the world, with 11 of Siemens' worldwide businesses headquartered here and annual sales of $16.6 billion in fiscal 2003. The Siemens companies in the US employ approximately 65,000 people in all 50 states and Puerto Rico. Corporate headquarters for Siemens' US businesses are located in New York City. For more information: http://www.usa.siemens.com/.

About Siemens Information and Communication Networks Group

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Siemens Information and Communication Networks Group is a leading provider of network and applications technology for enterprises, carriers and service providers. ICN's product strategy is focused on next-generation switching, next-generation access, and next-generation optics. ICN's flagship brands are HiPath for enterprises, SURPASS for carriers, and SpeedStream for business and residential broadband customer premise equipment.

NOTE: DirX and HiPath are trademarks of Siemens AG. All other company, brand, product, and service names are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective holders.

This release contains forward-looking statements based on beliefs of Siemens management. The words "anticipate," "believe," "estimate," "forecast," "expect," "intend," "plan," "should," and "project" are used to identify forward-looking statements. Such statements reflect the company's current views with respect to future events and are subject to risks and uncertainties. Many factors could cause the actual results to be materially different, including, among others, changes in general economic and business conditions, changes in currency exchange rates and interest rates, introduction of competing products, lack of acceptance of new products or services and changes in business strategy. Actual results may vary materially from those projected here. Siemens does not intend or assume any obligation to update these forward-looking statements.

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CONTACT: Suzanne Crow of Siemens Information and Communication Networks,
Inc., +1-703-262-2689, or suzanne.crow@icn.siemens.com

Web site: http://www.usa.siemens.com/