Citrus Heights, CA–SMART Association, Inc., (“SMART”) announced today that its newest client, Wyckoff Heights Medical Center of Brooklyn, New York, will implement the nation’s largest healthcare smart card program. The program, slated to issue over 110,000 smart cards to Wyckoff’s patients, will begin implementation by first quarter of 2010.

Wyckoff’s CEO, Rajiv Garg is a former Head of Global Risk Management who understands finance and technology. Says Mr. Garg, “Delivering quality healthcare is a precise balance; we want to make sure that we provide our patients with the most sophisticated technical care and best practices known while creating technical efficiencies throughout our healthcare community. We believe that we are striking the right balance here with the LifeMed smart card and fully expect our patients to embrace this technology completely–it’s a win:win for Wyckoff and our patients. Our IT group, led by our CIO, Jeb Jesurasu is tremendously excited to lead this important Wyckoff initiative. I am really proud of their efforts in making this a reality.”

Over the next two years, it is projected that 110,000 patients will be issued a Wyckoff Heights Medical Center smart card which will carry patient’s individual demographic information and important medical information such as medical conditions, allergies, and medications. Patients will be able to have their information read at the admissions department and Emergency Department, streamlining the admissions process. All information is encrypted within the smart card’s microprocessor computer, making it portable and secure, while upholding federal regulations such as HIPAA and HITECH.

Chief Executive Officer David Batchelor of SMART sees the market for smarts cards expanding rapidly. Comments Mr. Batchelor, “Wyckoff Heights is clearly ahead of the market right now; they are a great example of what seems to be coalescing in the market. For hospitals, the decision to implement patient smart cards seems to be based on three critical factors: (1) providers see that they can improve patient care by streamlining the admissions process and eliminating the patient “clip board” experience, (2) they understand that by having more accurate patient information–from numerous external sources previously unavailable–hospitals, physicians, and clinics are enhancing patient care, and (3) providers will be able to offer better patient experiences which increases their brand loyalty. The LifeMed Smart Card™ platform delivers on those fronts.” SMART’s goal is to support the underlying foundation of the president’s healthcare initiatives: creating a connected, patient-centric model where all providers can contribute and access patient information for the benefit of the patient–while reducing duplicate records, medial fraud, patient record error, and streamlining patient registration.”

About SMART

SMART Association, Inc. has been the leading Consumer Relationship marketing firm and smart card application providers and card issuers within the healthcare industry for over nineteen years. Hospitals partner with SMART to develop market-leading strategies to closely align their patients, increasing market share, while generating significant, quantifiable ROIs. Please visit the company’s website at http://www.smartassociation.com.

Contact

Dale Grogan, CSCIP
SMART Association Inc.
916.677.8400 X 311
daleg@smartassociation.com