Cambridge Health Alliance Deploys Innovative Technology from Imprivata to Enable Fast, Secure e-Prescribing of Controlled Substances to Fight Prescription Drug Abuse

CHA is the First Healthcare Organization in Massachusetts to Deploy Imprivata Confirm ID with Hands Free Authentication to Help Meet DEA Requirements for EPCS and Reduce Drug Diversion and Fraud

Lexington, Mass.—August 12, 2015—Imprivata® (NYSE: IMPR), the healthcare IT security company, today announced that Cambridge Health Alliance (CHA), one of Massachusetts’ largest academic community health care systems, has deployed Imprivata Confirm ID™ to enable fast, secure electronic prescribing of controlled substances (EPCS). EPCS minimizes the risk of “doctor shopping,” fraud, and drug diversion, helping CHA address the growing prescription drug abuse epidemic in Massachusetts. Imprivata Confirm ID is a comprehensive platform for meeting the DEA authentication requirements for EPCS. It integrates with EpicCare, CHA’s electronic health records (EHR) system, and CHA also uses Imprivata’s breakthrough Hands Free Authentication solution to ensure the EPCS workflow is fast and convenient for care providers.

“As part of a robust strategy to curb prescription drug abuse, we need to give providers the best tools available to help them make sound decisions when prescribing controlled substances. We view EPCS as essential because it greatly reduces the risk of fraud and drug diversion while also ensuring that patients with chronic pain can more easily get the medications they need.” said Arthur F. Ream III, Director of IT Applications - CISO at Cambridge Health Alliance. “Imprivata Confirm ID removes the complexity of meeting the DEA requirements for EPCS, and Hands Free Authentication gives providers a fast and efficient option for two-factor authentication when prescribing controlled substances. As an early adopter of a comprehensive electronic medical record system, we are uniquely positioned to implement these solutions, the combination of which will drive swift adoption of EPCS across our health system and puts us in a better position to tackle this epidemic.”

In June 2015, a task force assigned by Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker outlined a series of recommendations, including increased use of EPCS, to reverse the trend of opiate abuse and addiction that claimed the lives of more than 1,000 Massachusetts residents in 2014. While EPCS can minimize the risks of fraud and drug diversion associated with paper-based prescriptions, fewer than five percent of prescribers in Massachusetts are enabled for EPCS and less than three percent of all prescriptions for controlled substances were sent electronically, according to the Surescripts 2014 National Progress Report.

One of the barriers to EPCS adoption in Massachusetts and across the U.S. has been the lack of technologies to meet DEA requirements without inhibiting workflow and inconveniencing providers or patients. Imprivata Confirm ID addresses these challenges by delivering the industry’s most comprehensive platform for meeting the provider identity-proofing, credential enrollment, two-factor authentication, and auditing and reporting requirements for EPCS. Imprivata Confirm ID also simplifies EPCS for providers by integrating with leading EHRs and e-prescribing applications and offering the broadest range of two-factor authentication modalities to give providers the necessary flexibility to leverage the authentication options, including Hands Free Authentication, that best meet their prescribing workflow requirements.

Hands Free Authentication is a breakthrough, proximity-based authentication solution that delivers exceptional speed, security, and convenience for providers. Hands Free Authentication wirelessly retrieves and verifies a passcode from a user’s mobile device, even if it is locked, without requiring the provider to enter a passcode or type an OTP from a token. This delivers unparalleled speed and convenience that minimizes impact to clinical workflows and increases provider satisfaction.

“It is great to see Cambridge Health Alliance continue its leadership and innovative position in the industry by deploying Imprivata Confirm ID to address one of the most serious public health epidemics facing our nation and state,” said Omar Hussain, president and CEO of Imprivata. “The pushback from doctors against prescribing controlled substances electronically has historically been that prescribing these drugs using paper is faster. Imprivata Confirm ID provides physicians with a fast, convenient, and secure solution that eliminates the need for paper and makes prescribing controlled substances electronically as easy as putting their finger down.”

Imprivata will host a webinar titled “Cambridge Health Alliance shares its success in implementing EPCS with Epic” on Wednesday, August 26, 2015 at 1 p.m. EST. Arthur F. Ream III, Director of IT Applications - CISO at Cambridge Health Alliance, will discuss the health system’s decision to implement EPCS, the challenges it faced, why it elected to deploy Imprivata Confirm ID and Hands Free Authentication, the results to date, and best practices other healthcare organizations can follow to achieve success with their EPCS initiative.

About Cambridge Health Alliance
Cambridge Health Alliance is an academic community health system that provides essential services to Cambridge, Somerville, and Boston’s metro-north communities. It includes three hospital campuses, a network of primary care and specialty practices, and the Cambridge Public Health Dept. CHA is a Harvard Medical School teaching affiliate and is also affiliated with Harvard School of Public Health, Harvard School of Dental Medicine, and Tufts University School of Medicine. For more information, visit www.challiance.org.

About Imprivata

Imprivata® (NYSE: IMPR), the healthcare IT security company, provides healthcare organizations globally with a security and identity platform that delivers authentication management, fast access to patient information, secure communications, and positive patient identification. Imprivata enables care providers to securely and efficiently access, communicate, and transact patient health information to address critical compliance and security challenges while improving productivity and the patient experience. For more information, please visit www.imprivata.com.

Media Contacts
John Hallock
617-615-7712
jhallock@imprivata.com

Dan Borgasano
415-308-2475
dborgasano@imprivata.com

Investor Contact:
Bob East / Asher Dewhurst
Westwicke Partners
443-213-0503
bob.east@westwicke.com
imprivata@westwicke.com

For Cambridge Health Alliance
David Cecere
617-591-4044
dcecere@challiance.com