InfoCert and HTN: a partnership for data security in telemedicine
Italy’s leading telemedicine provider has turned to InfoCert to integrate digital signature services into its innovative SmartTelemedicine Platform.
HTN: Italy's leader in telemedicine
The history of HTN, a leader in Italy for telemedicine services, began in 1998 downstream of the professional need of the founding partner, hospital cardiologist Dr. Fulvio Glisenti, to remotely diagnose acute myocardial infarction in the mountainous territory of Valle Camonica.
The mission has always been to realize Telemedicine Services that would make healthcare in the territory usable in an “immediate and safe” way through activities of prevention, diagnosis, therapy and continuity of care between hospital and territory. At first, specialist teleconsultation services were enabled for general practitioners, then home telehealth services for protected discharges from hospitals until, in the 2000s, services carried out by Pharmacies to guarantee the citizen a hospital quality healthcare close to home.
The Legislative Decree 153/2009 and the Federfarma Service Pharmacy
Since 2009, thanks to the regulatory evolution of the Service Pharmacy and the subsequent implementing decrees (Ministry of Health) , Italy has been the first European country to authorize in pharmacies the performance of first-instance diagnostic tests (blood chemistry tests, electrocardiograms, blood pressure/cardiac holters, spirometry).
Pharmacies have thus become true territorial proximity health garrisons capable of guaranteeing an adequate response to citizens’ health needs. For this reason, HTN, which has always been oriented to ensure a rapid and effective use of its telemedicine services , has developed the SmartTelemedicine Platform, a web-based Health care application, GDPR compliant, which stores and manages all sensitive data of the citizen, ensuring communication with the various regional health systems and hospitals.
Partnering with InfoCert for a 100% digital experience
In this context, HTN and InfoCert S.p.A., being already partners in R&D projects and in order to foster a 100% digital experience, entered into an agreement aimed at the implementation in the SmartTelemedicine Platform of a digital signature service for HTN specialist physicians (digital signature that is affixed on all telereferrals, including those issued to pharmacy users).
In the first half of 2024, about 300,000 users used the digitally signed report for their health care service while, as of today, in total, HTN can count on a network of more than 8,000 pharmacies capable of delivering health care services to a pool of more than 24 million users.
The use by the entire network of a single Telemedicine software platform guarantees:
- uniformity of health data collection
- uniformity in the provision of hospital-grade electromedical equipment by each Pharmacy
- uniformity of delivery of professional specialist teleconsultation and telereferral services
- a single shared database, in full compliance with privacy regulations
Toward increasingly innovative, affordable healthcare for all
With a view to offering telemedicine services that are increasingly innovative and in step with new technologies, HTN is working on adopting solutions that guarantee the security of the data sent by the medical devices used.
“Today’s growing numbers of users who choose to take advantage of telemedicine services require us to ensure the absolute veracity of the data sent to the platform, protect sensitive data and thus ensure the quality of care.
Only through robust security of the data received into the SmartTelemedicine Platform can we fully exploit the potential of innovation without compromising patient trust. This is why we look carefully at InfoCert as a qualified service provider and ideal partner for upcoming projects aiming at the use of Artificial Intelligence algorithms,” says Dr. Fulvio Glisenti, President of HTN.
