PRINCETON JUNCTION, NJ -- (MARKET WIRE) -- 02/14/08 -- The Smart Card Alliance Healthcare Council is off to an exciting start to 2008, with newly elected officers and steering committee, the first in a series of industry roundtables this month, and a new Web site full of educational resources.

"Around the world, healthcare organizations are utilizing smart card technology for healthcare cards. Improving the security and privacy of patient information, reducing fraud, providing secure portable medical information, and helping achieve regulatory compliance are just a few of the reasons why," said Randy Vanderhoof, executive director of the Smart Card Alliance. "Now in its third year, the Healthcare Council is focused on bringing the healthcare and smart card industries together for a common goal -- a future for healthcare with more security, portability and convenience."

The new Healthcare Council officers and steering committee members are:

--  Chair - Paul Contino, Mount Sinai Medical Center
--  Vice Chair - Aaron Zitzer, Siemens Medical Solutions
--  Secretary - Michael Magrath, Gemalto
--  Jared Adair, Wisconsin Physicians Service Insurance Corporation
--  David Asay, IBM
--  David Corcoran, TrustBearer Labs
--  Dale Grogan, SMART Association
    

"The theme for the Healthcare Council in 2008 is collaboration and education," said Paul Contino. "We are seeing the number of healthcare smart card implementations growing across the country and now is the time for us to provide a forum to share experiences, address pressing issues, and examine and learn about the role smart cards are playing in the healthcare today and for the future."

On Monday, February 25th, at the 2008 Annual HIMSS Conference and Exhibition in Orlando, FL, the Smart Card Alliance Healthcare Council will host the first of a series of invitation-only roundtable discussions. Healthcare executives, practitioners and industry experts will gather to explore the potential for smart cards to provide solutions to some of the important issues and challenges facing the healthcare system in the United States.

The Healthcare Council has also made an abundance of educational materials available at its Web site, http://www.smartcardalliance.org/pages/smart-cards-applications-healthcare. Materials include reports about the role of smart cards in healthcare and the benefits they provide. Importantly, the Web site also contains in-depth real world case studies on healthcare smart card implementations in the United States and abroad, such as at the Mount Sinai Medical Center, and resources on new innovations in smart health cards.

"The healthcare industry is on the verge of making significant investments in smart card technology. The healthcare council will keep up with these emerging trends and keep the industry informed with new educational materials and events in the coming year," added Contino.

About the Smart Card Alliance

The Smart Card Alliance is a not-for-profit, multi-industry association working to stimulate the understanding, adoption, use and widespread application of smart card technology.

Through specific projects such as education programs, market research, advocacy, industry relations and open forums, the Alliance keeps its members connected to industry leaders and innovative thought. The Alliance is the single industry voice for smart cards, leading industry discussion on the impact and value of smart cards in the U.S. and Latin America. For more information please visit http://www.smartcardalliance.org.

Media Contact:
Deb Montner
Montner & Associates
203-226-9290
dmontner@montner.com