AMA, Intel team up for encryption service

The American Medical Association (AMA) in Chicago is working with Intel Corp. of Santa Clara, CA, on a form of electronic credentialing to protect patient and physician privacy and confidentiality in Internet communications. With the program, the AMA will be able to offer physicians digital credentials that uniquely identify individuals over the Internet.

Intel provides the software that encrypts the message contents. The AMA will check the applicant’s profile against the AMA master file of all physicians to verify the identity of doctors applying for the credential. The system puts an electronic stamp on all Internet e-mail messages and attached files sent by physicians enrolled in the program, verifying that the message was sent by the doctor. The service is available to AMA members at no charge.

"The potential for the Internet to be used to obtain lab results, send prescriptions to pharmacies, and receive patient files makes it vitally important that systems are in place to ensure that the patient’s privacy and confidentiality are protected," says Richard Corlin, MD, speaker of the House of Delegates for the AMA.