Zix Corporation, a global provider of protection, management, and delivery solutions for electronic communications, announces that Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Oklahoma, the oldest and largest private health insurer in the state serving almost 770,000 Oklahomans, has signed a three-year contract for ZixCorp secure e-messaging services to help meet the privacy and security guidelines of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA).
Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Oklahoma will deploy ZixVPM (Virtual Private Messenger) for 1,400 users and ZixPort communications protection services. ZixVPM will enable the company to provide automatic encryption of emails based on company policy, including a built-in filter for Protected Health Information (PHI). ZixPort will provide custom branding and encrypted messaging functionality through a secure Web portal. In addition, 185 licenses of ZixMail, a desktop-level encryption service, will be distributed to key partners and legal teams.
To date, over 30 percent of Blue Plans have selected ZixCorp as their preferred service provider to meet their e-messaging needs. "Safe handling of our members' confidential information was the utmost concern for us," said Jerry Scherer, CIO for Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Oklahoma. "ZixCorp's solutions enable us to comply with our corporate and HIPAA privacy policies while continuing to effectively do business using electronic communications. Moreover, their service provides instant interoperability and is easy to use and easy to deploy."
"We're excited to fit the needs of Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Oklahoma," said Dennis Heathcote, vice president of marketing and products for ZixCorp. "We're broadening our existing lead as the communications protection provider in the healthcare sector not only for the Blue Plans, but for other major payors including hospital associations, healthcare systems, and university hospitals. As more organizations see the interoperability, fast deployment, and level of HIPAA compliance that ZixCorp solutions offer, the more they turn to us."
Source: Zix Corp.
