Physicians to gain
streamlined, secure access to RxCentric's services, such as profiling
of drug safety and efficacy benefits
Chicago, IL, and Mountain View, CA, July 16, 2001 -- The American
Medical Association (AMA) and VeriSign, Inc. (Nasdaq: VRSN), the leading
provider of Internet trust services, today announced that RxCentric
Inc, a leading provider of physician relationship management solutions
to the pharmaceutical industry, will enable its online services to accept
AMA Internet IDs so that physicians can securely access online data
and services with a single digital credential. The agreement represents
the first major pharmaceutical marketing application to enable a higher
level of security and privacy for such services as online detailing
and market research.
Physicians routinely cite security as their main
concern in using the Internet to communicate and conduct transactions.
With the AMA Internet ID Service, physicians can more fully realize
the potential of the Internet by securely accessing a wide range of
clinical and administrative Web-based applications such as claims, patient
charting, pharmaceutical product information, and e-prescriptions. Since
physicians conduct business in a variety of places including offices,
hospitals and home offices, the service will feature roaming capabilities
to give physicians the freedom to perform online tasks securely from
any location.
"As new applications such as these begin to
accept AMA Internet IDs, physicians can put their passwords on a shelf
and benefit from secure and easy access to online services from filing
claims, finding leading information on pharmaceutical products, and
filling e-prescriptions," said Robert A. Musacchio, Ph.D., AMA
senior vice president of publishing, business and membership.
"We look forward to working closely with the
AMA and VeriSign to provide our pharmaceutical partners, and the physicians
with whom we interact online, a more secure platform for new product
and content information that will lead to the enhancement of patient
care," said Richard Findlay, CEO and president of RxCentric. "Our
relationship with the AMA and VeriSign underscores RxCentric's commitment
to delivering the next generation of services."
The AMA and VeriSign announced in April a partnership
to enhance the AMA Internet ID Service and help develop applications
that can utilize AMA Internet IDs. AMA Internet IDs provide physicians
with a single digital credential that enables secure access to a number
of online applications without having to remember multiple passwords.
With higher levels of authentication, AMA Internet IDs can also be used
in applications that include physician- and patient-sensitive content.
RxCentric's e-detailing product enables pharmaceutical
companies to profile a drug's safety and efficacy benefits for a targeted
group of physicians via the Internet, thereby complementing the pharmaceutical
company's offline sales campaigns. RxCentric's use of the AMA Internet
ID Service will enhance this process, assuring pharmaceutical companies
that the physicians who participate in the e-detailing and other online
marketing programs are properly authenticated.
The enhanced AMA Internet ID Service will be the
first Internet authentication offering built on VeriSign's next generation
trust services, which provide a standards-based, open framework that
makes it easy for developers to integrate advanced security functions
into online applications. VeriSign's managed trust services are designed
to rapidly assist health care organizations and application vendors
in their efforts to comply with the proposed Health Insurance Portability
and Accountability Act (HIPAA) regulations.
Availability
The AMA's Internet ID Service is available today and the enhanced service
is scheduled for availability in the third quarter. The new secure e-mail
services and digital signature handling capability will be available
as part of the service in the third quarter.
About the American Medical Association
Founded 154 years ago, the American Medical Association is the largest
medical association in the world and is the nation's principal advocate
for patients and their physicians. It sets standards for the profession
of medicine and is an influential leader in the continuing national
debate over health care. The AMA's work includes the development and
promotion of standards in medical practice, research and education;
a strong advocacy agenda on behalf of patients and physicians; and the
commitment to provide accurate, timely information and discourse on
matters important to the health of America. For more information, please
visit www.ama-assn.org.
About VeriSign
VeriSign, Inc. (Nasdaq: VRSN) is the leading provider of trusted infrastructure
services to Web sites, enterprises, electronic commerce service providers
and individuals. The company's domain name, digital certificate and
payment services provide the critical Web identity, authentication and
transaction infrastructure that online businesses require to conduct
secure e-commerce and communications. VeriSign's services are available
through its Web site (www.verisign.com)
or through its direct sales force and reseller partners around the world.
About RxCentric
RxCentric Inc. (www.rxcentric.com)
is a leading Internet Marketing Solutions Provider for the pharmaceutical
industry, providing customized and targeted online product marketing
capability that extends the reach and frequency of existing offline
marketing and sales activities. RxCentric's promotional and educational
services include online detailing and sampling, online continuing medical
education (CME) programs, as well as market research and sales representative
support. RxCentric provides pharmaceutical partners unprecedented access
to a nationally representative population of more than 27,000 prescribing
physicians through its free, physician-only ISP service called Doctors
Net Access (DNA). The DNA service consists of seven medical specialty
channels: Allergy, Cardiology, Neurology, Oncology/Hematology, Primary
Care, Pulmonary Medicine and Urology. RxCentric Inc. is a privately
held company with locations in New York, Morristown N.J., Philadelphia
and San Diego.
Statements in this announcement other than
historical data and information constitute forward-looking statements
within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and
Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. These statements
involve risks and uncertainties that could cause VeriSign's actual results
to differ materially from those stated or implied by such forward-looking
statements. The potential risks and uncertainties include, among others,
VeriSign's limited operating history under its current business structure,
uncertainty of future revenue and profitability and potential fluctuations
in quarterly operating results, increased competition, risks associated
with the company's international business and risks related to potential
security breaches. More information about potential factors that could
affect the company's business and financial results is included in VeriSign's
filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, especially in the
company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31,
2000 and its Quarterly Report on Form 10_Q for the period ended March
31, 2001. VeriSign undertakes no obligation to update any of the forward-looking
statements after the date of this press release.
VeriSign is a registered trademark of VeriSign, Inc. RxCentric is a
registered trademark of RxCentric Inc. Other names may be trademarks
of their respective owners.
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