Digital Signatures Enhance Alaska Sleep Clinic Drive towards Paperless Systems and HIPAA Compliance

San Francisco, California, 28 Aug, 2007

ARX, Inc. (Algorithmic Research), a global provider of standards-based digital signatures (electronic signatures) and information assurance solutions, has implemented a CoSign® digital-signature solution at sleep disorder diagnosis provider, Alaska Sleep Clinic, Inc. (ASC).

CoSign is ARX's non-forgeable, simple-to-use, standards-based digital-signature solution that allows users to digitally sign documents, records, files, forms, and other electronic transactions.

With ASC implementing electronic (vs. paper) records that can quickly and easily be moved and shared among their multiple sleep centers, the need for a digital signature solution was identified early on to ensure compliance with HIPAA regulations. Today, CoSign is being used by physicians to digitally sign various reports and evaluations, primarily in Microsoft® Word format, at sleep laboratories in Alaska.

"ASC has been dedicated to building an infrastructure that gives physicians and technicians, residing in multiple locations, the ability to immediately address and resolve activities and testing on individuals," said Kevin Asp, Alaska Sleep Clinic, Inc. Expediting client resolution and internal processes, as well as cost savings, were major drivers for implementing an electronic signature solution.

"Furthermore, ASC is growing rapidly through acquisition of sleep centers, and leveraging common resources (i.e. IT infrastructure) is essential for integrating the new centers into their existing business processes smoothly and cost effectively," he adds.  "CoSign also fits well with our existing Citrix environment and gives ASC consistent digital signatures services for all acquired sites, as well as easily meeting the demands of any of our future acquisitions."

"ASC’s decision to move forward with CoSign was driven, in no small part, by CoSign’s compliance with HIPAA regulations, as well as its ability to enable rapid deployment across multiple sites, from Texas to Alaska," said Rodd Schlerf, Life Science Practice Manager at ARX.  CoSign enables users to sign multiple document-format types with just a click of the mouse, resulting in seamless user adoption and fast deployments. In the future, ASC wants to conduct clinical trials and sleep studies and sees CoSign as a valuable tool to successfully enable this process.

With locations throughout Alaska, Alaska Sleep Clinic's highly trained professionals, including Registered Polysomnographic Technologists, Respiratory Therapists, Nurse Practitioners, and Physicians Assistants work together under the direction of Board-Certified Sleep Physician Dr. William Lucht to bring Alaskans everywhere the restful, restorative sleep they need.

For more information please visit www.alaskasleep.com