A new electronic health card that's embedded with a microcomputer designed to maintain an individual's personal health record and provide a payment card option, is being introduced during the HIMSS11 conference next week.

The card was developed by Broomfield, Colo.-based LifeNexus. The Personal Health Card is embedded with the company's Individually Controlled Health Information Platform (iChip) technology, which uses "mobile server" technology that is both encrypted and password-protected. There is also a digital credential on the card, which assures the protection of identity and privacy as well as helps to reduce fraud, officials said.

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The company will give out 1,000 cards to attendees at the show.

"The card makes vital information available to healthcare providers in times of an emergency, enabling rapid admission and improved care," said Christopher Maus, CEO of LifeNexus.

Officials said the card is designed to put patients at the center of their health data. It
stores comprehensive health information for individuals and their family members, including demographic data, emergency contacts, insurance information along with medical records, which include medical history, immunizations, allergies and prescriptions.

"There is enormous value in an electronic health card for all parties involved in the continuity of care," said Howard Burde, principal at Howard Burde Health Law, LLC, advisory board member of HIMSS and author of "Personal Health Records," published by HIMSS. "It will help make electronic medical records viable and is a critical piece in the creation of a digital healthcare information exchange. Most importantly, it will help address the three biggest challenges in healthcare: lowering costs, improving patient outcomes and ensuring privacy."

The consumer ensures privacy between themselves and their healthcare provider through consumer-authorized access. An individual's information stays in their wallet, not a Web-based server. Not only does this eliminate consumer concerns about transferring and storing sensitive data on a third party Web-based server, officials said, it also supports the adoption of electronic medical records by their physician, which requires both a third-party credential and a digital personal health record.

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"The advantage of the Personal Health Card is that the consumer is in control of the information, and a lot of the red tape is eliminated," said Boyd Lyles, Jr., MD, founding director, Heart Health and Wellness Center, Dallas. "Even offices that have paper records can use the Personal Health Card to help them transition to electronic patient/physician records."

The company said the card complies with both the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) Privacy Rule and the security and privacy mandates under the new American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.

LifeNexus' development efforts on the card include working for more than three years with key stakeholders across multiple industries, including; MasterCard Worldwide, Visa, VeriFone and Emdeon, Inc., a leading provider of healthcare revenue and payment cycle management solutions, collaborated on this product.

Individuals can choose to have the Personal Health Card on a payment card allowing them to make general day-to-day purchases on the same card. The card can be offered by financial institutions with either prepaid, debit or credit functionality. Individuals can use their card to make general payments the same way they use their existing MasterCard or Visa cards.

The card can also be used to allow access to Health Savings Accounts, Flexible Spending Accounts and Health Reimbursement Arrangements.

Officials said the microcomputer on the front of the card and the magnetic payment function on the back ensure that health and financial information remain separate and secure.