Intel, AMA to Credential Web MDs

Intel Corp. and the American Medical Assn. will announce an alliance today to credential physicians for participation in a range of Web-based medical services, including patient care, that require secure authentication. Healtheon/WebMD and Medquist, two leading Web-oriented physician-service companies, will also use the credential service for transactions between doctors, patients, hospitals and medical labs. The program, which will launch early next year, is part of a broader health authentication services business under development by Intel. The chip maker has aggressively moved into technology development for health services, which it sees as a fast-growing market that stimulates demand for the company’s high-speed microprocessors. Steven McGeady, vice president for Intel’s Internet health initiative, said the program seeks to increase record keeping and communications efficiency to free doctors for more effective doctor-patient interactions. “The low level of modern technology penetration into the health-care industry is an embarrassment,” McGeady said. “But high-tech doesn’t have to replace high-touch.”