Solution

With no time to waste, the company immediately put out an RFI. The hope was to keep its basic infrastructure largely the same and switch to a new secure messaging solution – a “lift and shift.” The main requirements for the solution were:

• Maintain and improve secure message center functions within the client services portal
• Keep the approach of using REST application program interfaces (APIs) for controlling the secure message center
• Migrate 2TB of client-advisor message data and attachments from the legacy system
• Provide access to migrated client-advisor message history in each active mailbox so clients would not see any difference
• Keep current active mailboxes, since a full “rip and replace” would be too costly
• Meet all compliance requirements in one of the most highly regulated industries
• Migrate the service to public cloud infrastructure without compromising security and performance
• Launch the new solution in 6-9 months

The deployment window for a project of this size was tight, to say the least. DataMotion, a leading provider of data privacy and security solutions, was already on the company’s radar – and its experience integrating secure message center solutions via its comprehensive APIs turned out to be the perfect fit. Unlike offerings from other vendors, DataMotion’s secure message center solution – deployed in Azure and managed by the company – met all the requirements and then some.

Foremost, DataMotion offers flexible secure messaging REST APIs, critical to swapping out the legacy messaging software. This allowed consistent operation of secure messaging and file transfer, while enabling the solution to integrate into the finserv company’s existing infrastructure and webmail interface of the client services portal. Only the discontinued software would need replacing – no large scale “rip and replace” of the portal or other critical enterprise infrastructure would be necessary (a vastly more expensive proposition that accompanied the proposals from other vendors).

Deploying the system on Azure enabled DataMotion to take advantage of the latest available Microsoft technologies to ensure scalability in a cost-effective way using such features as geo-redundant storage (GRS), site recovery for seamless disaster recovery (DR), load balancing, clustering and others.

Another critically important function is a state-of-the-art advanced monitoring system deployed by DataMotion to keep track of the system health and performance in real-time, 24×7.

For the new solution, secure messaging as a service is delivered through the DataMotion SDX (secure data exchange) services platform. This includes the ability to link to a separate system for audit trails and meeting compliance requirements, as well as integration with customer service systems.

“The best fit for us would be taking our existing services and swapping out the previous product logic that we communicated with – and that just wasn’t possible with other vendors,” explained the company’s solution architect. “With DataMotion, we could. We were able to still use our mailboxes and they had the APIs we needed to manage our message center. It was the ideal solution.”

Lastly, the project required not only the right technology, but the right team working together. DataMotion worked smoothly not only with the company’s personnel, but with their systems integrator. When the company identified two areas where DataMotion’s solution didn’t quite seem to meet their needs – importing messages and managing drafts – the DataMotion and systems integrator teams collaborated well to fill the gaps in the solution.

“DataMotion said, ‘Alright, we’ll be able to do that, and in fact, those services actually make a lot of sense for our product,’” described the company’s solution architect. “That was one of the big drivers for us. DataMotion was willing to enhance the solution to make sure we had exactly what we needed.”

Results

One of the keywords for the entire project was seamless. The whole transition absolutely had to be a non-issue for customers and advisors alike. On this front, the project succeeded wildly. The solution from DataMotion was successful from the outset, handling 10,000 messages between clients and advisors on the first day, with the familiar secure message center interface and user experience intact.

That’s not to say there weren’t challenges along the way – there were bound to be with such a project – but the DataMotion team stepped up to meet each one. “DataMotion wanted us to be completely satisfied, and our teams worked hand-in-hand throughout it all,” said the company’s solution architect. “There were a few hiccups – which is to be expected with a project of this magnitude and complexity – but they always went the extra mile to resolve issues quickly.”

In fact, the new product delivered significant improvements. Push notifications are now integrated into the system. Reporting for compliance is also tied in and automated, requiring no effort from advisors. The project also helped the company take one more step towards a longer-term goal; eliminating all on-premise solutions and moving everything to the cloud.

Cost-Benefit Analysis

Beyond exceeding the technical, functional and operation requirements of the project, the DataMotion solution was also the most cost-effective. While other replacement proposals cost millions of dollars to implement due to wholesale “rip and replace” approaches, the DataMotion “fit for purpose” approach could be delivered more cost-effectively – providing the benefits needed at a fraction of alternative proposals. And the familiarity that was so important to advisors and clients had an added ROI benefit – no retraining on the message center was required when employees made the switch. Add in the move to the cloud, combined with DataMotion’s managed services model, and the wealth management firm also reduced IT maintenance, personnel and security costs associated with their secure message center service.

• Enhanced client communications
• Turnkey integration
• Cost-effective solution
• Automated compliance
• No retraining required

The Road Ahead

Looking ahead, there are opportunities to extend secure message center functionality and the company values the commitment and leadership DataMotion has built in the secure messaging SaaS and communications platform as a service (CPaaS) category. While the secure email vendor landscape is crowded with point solutions and service silos, DataMotion has set itself apart with an API strategy that integrates security and compliance into the high-volume messaging and file-sharing workflows inherent in the business processes of the finserv industry. The result is better communications between clients and advisors, which in turn improves outcomes at lower costs, without compromising information security.

Solution

Stillwater Medical decided to layer automated filtering encryption on top of the manual encryption provided by the secure mailbox and expanded its use of DataMotion technology across the entire organization by adding the DataMotion content filter as a DLP (data loss prevention) email filter. The content filter automatically identifies emails that contain PHI (catching those messages employees forgot to excrypt) and automatically sends them on, encrypted. Now email content and attachments from the hospital’s employees are automatically scanned for PHI, and automatically encrypted when needed. The system also automatically provides feedback, notifying users when something should have been encrypted, increasing email security awareness. “DLP is the name of the game for protecting healthcare information. For a hospital our size, to be able to do this so easily, the payback’s enormous,” said Cliff Hanks senior network engineer for Stillwater Medical. “We are getting the benefits of a larger hospital’s technology, with a smaller amount of resources. It’s great for security and compliance.”

The secure email content filter offers powerful, customizable, rule sets, which allowed the hospital IT staff to configure rules based on their own internal policies and needs. For example, custom pass rules have been used to alleviated false positives, which occur when business partner account numbers also matched patient id numbers.

Stillwater Medical also implemented the secure contact me feature of DataMotion, enabling individuals outside the hospital’s email system to easily send employees sensitive information and files, without the need for additional software or services. “Implementation was simple and took very little time and effort to set up,” said the senior network engineer.

Results

• Greatly reduced PHI exposure from email communications
• Increased compliance with HIPAA/HITECH regulations
• Reduced false positives, increasing user confidence and satisfaction
• Security enforcement is now measurable. Significantly reduced IT resources needed for outbound email security administration

“Our risk exposure has been significantly reduced by automating and extending DataMotion technology to all of our employees. We can now filter all of their messages and files to identify and encrypt sensitive financial, clinical, and other private information,” said Hanks. “The use of the DataMotion industry-standard lexicons and custom email filters has virtually eliminated false positives and the need for IT intervention. We’ve significantly reduced the amount of time it takes to manage our outbound email and are much more confident that our sensitive employee emails are encrypted when needed and in compliance with HIPAA and HITECH regulations.”

Solution

The department sought to elevate their HISP services by exploring options from external vendors, aiming for improved quality and reduced costs. . A bid was issued and received three submissions. DataMotion’s robust platform and comprehensive secure data exchange services stood out from the competition, ultimately resulting in their selection as the department’s HISP. “DataMotion provided a very detailed bid, and was the only vendor bidding with a health provider directory,” said the department’s EHR project manager. “From the beginning, DataMotion gave us the confidence they knew what they were doing. They came highly recommended and they did not disappoint.”

To successfully provision patient Direct addresses programatically, the department chose to utilize Microsoft HealthVault’s auto-provisioning feature. Phase one of the project began with integrating DataMotion Direct services into the department’s electronic health records to generate a Continuity of Care Document (CCD). DataMotion Direct services were then integrated with the HealthVault patient portal using the DataMotion Direct Secure Messaging API for secure patient communication. “We really relied on DataMotion for integrating Direct with Microsoft HealthVault. DataMotion was very responsive and helpful with testing and working through integration issues.”

“Integration turned out to be quite challenging due to limited documentation from HealthVault,” the project manager continued. “While everything was correct according to Microsoft documentation, the workflow was still not completing. DataMotion worked with our team extensively to solve this issue. We discovered, after testing each parameter under several circumstances, that Microsoft did not document any restrictions about the subject line contents, and that turned out to be the issue.”

Results

Using a button within the EHR user interface, a provider can now click to generate a CCD and send it securely to the patient portal. The department’s patients can easily access their electronic health information through the portal. The quick integration also enabled the department to recertify under the 2014 Meaningful Use criteria.

With DataMotion’s help, the department also built a messaging interface within the EHR that allows a user to author a Direct Message within the EHR, attach the healthcare information and send to any Direct address holder. This feature will be rolled out prior to year-end, along with a marketing campaign to get patients using the portal. “Right now we only have Direct addresses for about 10 – 11 percent of our patients,” said the project manager. “With these new capabilities, we hope to dramatically increase that number, and in the process, get our patients more engaged with their care. Providers are also better able to coordinate communications with providers not in the department’s health network.”

“DataMotion Direct services are so transparent and easy to work with, none of our users even know they are there.”

State Government Department of Health EHR Project Manager

Solution

After extensively researching the secure document delivery marketplace, the state purchased the DataMotion platform and implemented secure email automation. They chose the DataMotion platform because of its established track record for providing scalability, enterprise capabilities, on-premises deployment to meet CJIS data security rules, and lights-out operations. A wide range of delivery options suited to the needs of both individuals and business partners was another factor.

Using the platform’s secure email automation capability, the state eliminated major courier expenses for each background check delivered, while increasing document security, tracking and retrieval. And because costs were greatly reduced, their fulfillment operation, which was once operating at a loss, is now a major profit center.

With the automated side of secure delivery taken care of, DataMotion’s email encryption was then installed on agency desktops, allowing employees to encrypt communications on-demand from within Microsoft Outlook to citizens, government agencies and businesses. The secure mailbox has allowed them to process law enforcement issues in a much more rapid, cost-effective manner than the fax, postal and courier methods used in the past. In addition, external users can securely communicate back to state employees, providing a convenient, secure and rapid method to interact with the agency.

Results

• Courier-based delivery costs and inefficiencies have been eliminated
• Implementing electronic delivery turned the initiative from an expense into a profit center
• Multiple delivery methods make the system easy-to-use for all types of partners and individuals
• Secure email on employee desktops cut costs and accelerate business processes
• Auditors and operations are satisfied with detailed delivery tracking
• Lights-out server operation requires minimal IT staff attention

Solution

The consumer‐complaint agency decided to take advantage of the DataMotion unified platform which conforms to Micosoft’s .NET and Web services API standards. “We were attracted by the apparent power and simplicity of the DataMotion solution,” said an IT consultant representing the agency. “DataMotion was prepared to invest in understanding our requirements and suggested more workable alternatives, many of which we eventually adopted.” DataMotion solutions automated the agency’s processes, so it could easily and quickly exchange information while simultaneously tightening security and efficiency. The agency implemented several key applications on the unified platform: including DataMotion secure email automation, secure managed file transfer and secure HTML forms.

Secure email enabled the agency to have full control over all messaging in a safe and trackable environment. The agency now enjoys a secure yet flexible environment that integrates with its existing infrastructure and applications — eliminating the need to rebuild. Secure forms automates XML transformation so the agency can share information with different kinds of computers, applications and organizations. Now the agency is able to deliver secure forms data into its backend customer relationship management system. Secure file transfer allows the agency to send and receive large messages and files in a bandwidth‐controlled manner.

Results

• Standards-based applications quickly integrated into existing ecosystem
• Received $5 of value for every dollar spent
• Agency can easily, securely exchange email, files and forms between disparate computing environments
• High scores on external security audit due to military-grade encryption
• Customer satisfaction ratings now over 90%
• Completed webforms are quickly and securely routed into the appropriate department back-end system, eliminating manual input
• Easy to grow, provision, administer and support due to cloud-based unified platform
• All exchanges are tracked and reportable

“We were able to offer a secure, flexible environment, “ said Bob Janacek, DataMotion CTO, “that tightly integrated with what the agency already had rather than rebuilding its infrastructure from scratch.”

“Thanks to DataMotion solutions, the trading standards officers will now be able to concentrate solely on tackling high‐level cases of fraud and counterfeiting,” said an agency spokesperson.

Solution

Direct Secure Messaging was implemented through Union Hospital’s MEDITECH EHR, to replace the use of mail, fax and the printing of patient records, resulting in enhanced information exchange with its extended network. Transmitting structured data documents (CCDs) via Direct alsoimmediately enabled interoperable exchange with HIEs and EHRs.

Interoperability with regional HIEs transformed Union’s clinical communications. The Hospital began encouraging external entities to exchange with them, using Direct Secure Messaging, through one of the two HIEs the hospital participates with – CRISP and DHIN – eliminating many individual interfaces to the hospital’s systems. The hospital also began receiving notices from CRISP (using Direct) regarding patients who had been discharged and then readmitted elsewhere. These notices, received every morning from CRISP, enabled case managers to better assess risk of re-admission for these patients.

“Use Direct Secure Messaging as a tool to drive change in your organization.It gave us the opportunity to leverage the electronic records we already had and became a change agent for making the exchange of data truly meaningful,” said Bonnie Davis, director health information services and management, Union Hospital. “Improving outcomes results in patient satisfaction. Using a communication standard like Direct to achieve those improved outcomes extends the opportunities for satisfaction and communication and is ultimately the key to ongoing evolution and improvement.”

Results

The use of Direct Secure Messaging at Union Hospital has resulted in cost savings in multiple areas, as well as greater efficiencies, security and quality of care. For example, by using Direct to exchange CCDs the Hospital no longer needs to print and fax these records, saving them money and making the process of exchange more secure, efficient and less error-prone.

By encouraging providers to go through the HIE – using Direct Secure Messaging rather than an individual connection to the hospital – Union has saved money from not incurring the cost of supporting dozens of individual interfaces from these providers and other entities in their extended network. This also included a reduced need for Active Directory and VMware licenses, authentication licenses, Duo 2 factor authentication and the internal resources to support these interfaces.

Another benefit to the providers and to the hospital is that they all have access to each other’s information easily through the HIE. Also, an additional area of cost savings came through the daily notification messages sent from the CRISP HIE to Union Hospital’s case managers. These daily messages enable the case managers to monitor patients more closely and effectively, reducing re-admission rates – and has a direct impact on reimbursement from Medicare. “Our ability to share data is greatly enhanced,” continued Davis. “The use of DataMotion Direct Secure Messaging enables us to easily participate with our trading partners and leverage the state information exchanges in our area. The identity and security framework of Direct provides a truly trusted solution for information exchange between provider, systems and patients. No other communication methodology meets the high standards of privacy and security and yet provides easy avenues of communication regardless of system or enterprise.”

Solution

DataMotion is a leading provider of data privacy and security solutions. The company is a pioneer in securing and automating workflows that exchange sensitive data for a wide variety of customer-facing applications in healthcare, government, financial and insurance industries. DataMotion’s expertise in the insurance community led to working with the insurtech company on various projects.

It was through this relationship that the company learned DataMotion had an in-depth set of application programing interfaces (APIs) for secure messaging, email, file exchange and folder management – collectively known as secure message center APIs. These can enable secure web-mail, file exchange and web-forms natively in member and provider portals and mobile apps.

Using the DataMotion APIs, a secure message center was quickly integrated with the CX Platform and the health plan member services portal. With it plan members and service reps can easily connect and share supporting documents with familiar messaging tools from behind the portal login. Information is routed accordingly, case numbers assigned for tracking in ticketing systems, and response notifications can be sent. Detailed logging reports also provide transaction history details to help prove regulatory compliance. For the company, APIs meant the health plan could provide its members with direct two-way communications that fully protected PHI, while increasing the customer experience by enabling information through a single existing portal.

“Our client didn’t want to stand up another interface and we agreed; it would add complexity, was cost-prohibitive and would be disruptive for both plan members and service reps,” said the Vice President of Security and Infrastructure. “There were other tools that could have fit, and we did give them a hard look, but DataMotion had stronger, more flexible technology, a pricing advantage and a proven track record with us.”

Results

• Enables secure exchange between members, providers and payers without leaving existing portal
• Member and provider user experience is simplified and enhanced
• Added new communication feature to platform
• Ensures the company is meeting security and privacy compliance requirements

Solution

The company evaluated DataMotion’s secure mailbox along with several other vendors. They chose the secure mailbox because of the system’s robust security, and the platform’s flexibility allows them to customize and grow as needed. Knowing the DataMotion solution is one they intend to keep for years to come, the company has been building applications around DataMotion solutions.

“We preferred DataMotion’s SSL format and flexibility. This made the system ideal for easily working with our existing proprietary systems, as well as the varying systems our customers used.”

The company set up an on-premise deployment of the secure mailbox with large file attachments enabled. Global customers can easily send data securely to the company from their own email systems instead of using complicated FTP clients. All transactions are time-stamped as they are sent and received both in and out of the system. The secure mailbox’s integrated TotalView report gives full visibility into all of the system’s transactions, and can easily be delivered to both customers and senior management, demonstrating fulfillment of SLA requirements.

Results

The company’s customers experienced a seamless transition to DataMotion with no training required, and no software to install. They now have the tools and data to satisfy auditors, customers, and senior management and can easily prove reports and files are delivered in a compliant and timely way. The ability to properly track a report’s delivery has significantly reduced the number of customer support and help desk calls, resulting in lower customer service costs.

“Since implementing DataMotion the process is streamlined, resulting in increased productivity and improved customer service. This enables the team to spend our time focusing on more complicated, mission-critical tasks.”

Solution

ArchCare extended its use of DataMotion’s secure email technology to the entire enterprise by adding the secure email content filter to act as a safety net. Additionally, they integrated DataMotion’s registration authority (RA), certificate authority (CA), and health information service provider (HISP) accredited DataMotion Direct service to facilitate direct secure messaging and clinical data exchange with referral healthcare providers & health systems.

The content filter automatically identifies emails that contain PHI and encrypts them. Now, all email content and attachments from 1,600 ArchCare email addresses are automatically scanned for PHI, and encrypted if needed. Employees no longer have to remember to send sensitive health information securely.

Direct connects ArchCare with HISPs and referral partners that exchange clinical data via certified EHR technology. As healthcare reform spawns pay-for-value initiatives and their data-sharing requirements, ArchCare expects that Direct will be an increasingly important option for secure and interoperable health information exchange.

ArchCare’s IT leadership has peace of mind knowing that the secure email content filter ensures messages are protected and compliant with internal policies and external regulations. Direct positions ArchCare to participate in a new era of health information exchange and care coordination driven by healthcare reform. Additionally, IT administrators have had minimal help desk calls.

“Even though you provide users education, training and procedures for sending email with PHI, you worry something will get missed,” said Mitze Amoroso, Vice President and Chief Information Officer, ArchCare. “DataMotion secure email content filtering takes that worry away and by adding Direct Messaging to our existing encryption services we are leveraging our investment in DataMotion, yielding operating economies and cost savings from sourcing multiple services from a single vendor.”

Results

• Greatly reduced risk exposure from email communications
• Increased compliance with HIPAA/HITECH regulations
• Increased user confidence
• Security enforcement can now be measured by tracking all secure and non-secure communications

“Our ability to share data is greatly enhanced and risk exposure is significantly reduced by extending DataMotion secure email technology across our enterprise,” continued Amoroso. “Automated filtering of email messages and files empowers us to identify and encrypt sensitive financial, clinical and other private information.”

“The addition of Direct Secure Messaging to the DataMotion platform positions us to participate with our trading partners in the growing health information exchange being driven by healthcare reform initiatives. DataMotion’s extensible platform has accommodated our needs for encrypted messaging as regulation has evolved from HIPAA to HITECH to the EHR Incentive Program and Direct Messaging. Sourcing our multiple requirements from a single partner has delivered cost and operating efficiencies contributing to enhanced return on investment,” said Mitze Amoroso, vice president and chief information officer, ArchCare.