VeriFone Systems, Inc. global provider of secure electronic payment solutions, and LifeNexus, Inc., developer of the iChip and Personal Health Card, have announced an agreement to provide iChip acceptance software on VeriFone payment acceptance solutions. The LifeNexus Personal Health Card is the first multi-purpose electronic health card utilizing the embedded iChip for securely maintaining an individual’s health record and incorporates a payment card option.

Making iChip acceptance software available on VeriFone systems at pharmacies, hospitals and physician offices makes it easy for consumers to securely exchange their private healthcare information with providers, according to VeriFone. With the Personal Health Card, consumers can carry their health records in their wallet, use it as easily as a credit or debit card, and with the payment card option, can even pay for services and co-payments.

“This is an innovation that consumers have long been waiting for--control and portability of their own health records,” said Douglas G. Bergeron, CEO of VeriFone. “Extending the convenience of payment cards to health records provides greater security and usability, but more importantly ties into the extensive infrastructure of VeriFone solutions deployed throughout North America.”

The LifeNexus Personal Health Card was designed specifically to securely maintain an individual’s Personal Health Record (PHR) on a card in their wallet.  The patented iChip, (Individually Controlled Health Information Platform), utilizes “mobile server” technology embedded on a chip card which is both encrypted and password-protected, providing a highly secure environment to store comprehensive health information for individuals and their family members.

Christopher Maus, CEO of LifeNexus, said: “The wallet has long been the mobile platform to store and grant access to private information such as payment, membership, reward and insurance cards. These cards securely transfer information through cardholder authorization.  With the VeriFone relationship, individuals now have the same control, security and rich experience with their health records.”

The consumer ensures privacy between themselves and their healthcare provider through consumer-authorized access. An individual’s information stays in their wallet, not on a web-based server. This eliminates consumer concerns about storing sensitive data on an unrelated third party web server while also supporting the adoption of electronic medical records by their health care providers, the companies said.

LifeNexus

LifeNexus introduces a new era in portable health records with the Personal Health Card. This technology was designed specifically for maintaining an individual’s Personal Health Record (PHR) on a card in their wallet. The patented iChip, “Individually Controlled Health Information Platform,” utilizes mobile server technology to securely store critical information including prescriptions, medical history, allergies, insurance data, emergency contacts, physician notes, as well as other key information. Individuals authorize access to critical information at the time and point of need. With sensitive information securely encrypted, password protected and “Off-the-Web,” the consumer is in absolute control with the iChip. Now individuals can manage their personal health information and, at their choice, the iChip can be applied to payment cards, conveniently making general day-to-day purchases on the same card. For more information about LifeNexus, visit www.personalhealthcard.com