28/11-07   -   Press releases

Framework Agreement signed at MEDICA:ICW and HP expand Partnership for Electronic Health Card

Walldorf/Böblingen, November 28, 2007 – eHealth specialist InterComponentWare AG (ICW) expands its global partnership with Hewlett-Packard GmbH (HP), the worldwide leader in the field of products, solutions and services in information and image processing: At MEDICA, both companies concluded a global framework agreement about delivery, service, staging and support services for the health card connector ICW Box, which is in effect at least until the end of 2010. This reaffirms the strategy of both companies to jointly offer a comprehensive solution for the eHealth infrastructure.

In the infrastructures of electronic health cards, the ICW Box links the software systems applied in medical practices and pharmacies with the new eHealth infrastructure. Electronic health card applications like electronic prescriptions, insurant and emergency data can be safely and comfortably managed in many already existing medical practice and pharmacy systems with the ICW Box without having to exchange these systems. A software development kit (SDK) provided in the ICW Developers´ Network at http://idn.icw-global.com enables the fast and smooth connection of available medical primary systems. As one of the first connectors, the ICW Box was approved by gematik, the operation company for the introduction of the electronic health card in Germany, according to the current specification 1.3.1 and thus released for the official test regions.

Flexible Service Package by HP
In the context of the agreement, HP delivers the ICW Boxes to distribution partners, who in turn install these on site, e.g. in medical practices or pharmacies. With its global service organization, HP provides service and support for the ICW Box. Specific requirements of individual medical service providers, physicians´ networks or distribution partners are taken into account in HP´s coordinated service packages. Personalized manuals, logos or special services can easily be integrated into the connector package, for example.
Peter Reuschel, CEO of ICW: "Together with HP, our partner system houses and primary system manufacturers, we cover the entire life cycle of the ICW Box, ranging from production and on-site installation up to support services in case of specific needs." Edgar Aschenbrenner, CEO of Hewlett-Packard GmbH and Vice President Technology Solutions Group Service HP Germany, adds: "This framework agreement is a substantial addition to the partnership between HP and InterComponentWare. HP in its role as technology and service partner contributes to the success of the ICW solution by introducing own competences, which results in synergies for our joint customers."

About HP
HP simplifies the handling of technologies for its customers ranging from private customers up to the largest companies. With an offer that spans printing, personal computing, software, services and IT infrastructure, HP is among the largest IT companies worldwide and achieved a turnover of 104.3 billion USD in the past four quarters (01.11.2006 - 31.10.2007).

About InterComponentWare
InterComponentWare AG (ICW) is a leading international eHealth specialist with locations in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, the USA and Bulgaria. Its solutions for networking the different actors in the health care system lastingly improve process-oriented communication and data integrity, and therefore also the quality of medical care. Among other things, ICW develops and distributes software and hardware components for the health care IT infrastructure of the electronic health card, the personal electronic health record LifeSensor as well as networking solutions for hospitals and resident physicians. As part of the bIT4health consortium, ICW rendered important consulting services for the introduction of the electronic health card in Germany, participates in the Austrian eCard project and implements the pilot project for the national health card in Bulgaria.