Pacific Medical Centers (PacMed) of Seattle engages iTM Healthcare (a dedicated healthcare practice of iTech Management, LLC) to prepare PacMed for an upcoming DITSCAP (DoD Information Technology Security Certification and Accreditation Process) audit.

iTM Healthcare, a leading provider of HIPAA Security planning and consulting has taken the lead in hardening the PacMed infrastructure to pass the demanding security rules of the Department of Defense. The DITSCAP requirements are rightfully referred to as "HIPAA Security on Steroids."

(PRWEB) June 10, 2004 -- Pacific Medical Centers is one of a handful of healthcare companies around the United States providing healthcare coverage through the U.S. Family Health Plan sponsored by the Department of Defense (DoD) for retired military and their dependents. In response to the increased awareness of terrorism in the United States, the DoD is requiring all USFHP payers to pass an extensive physical, administrative, and information systems audit in order to retain their authority to operate (ATO). This requires PacMed not just meet but exceed by a huge margin the HIPAA Security rules effective in 2005--TODAY! iTM Healthcare is ensuring that all network connections within the enterprise and all touchpoints with business and trading partners are secure. From servers to desktops the task entails controlled and hardened images that are deployed to all computers and user desktops that will prevent unauthorized access from within and outside the company. Advanced intrusion detection and alarming for all systems including wireless systems is required. In meeting this task, iTM Healthcare has brought a variety of skills to bear: Sr. Network Specialists, Windows 2000 Server Specialists, PC/LAN Technicians, Active Directory and Exchange Server Administrators, Documentation Specialists, and HIPAA Project Managers.

About Pacific Medical Centers: Pacific Medical Centers offers an integrated, comprehensive network of more than 110 primary and specialty care healthcare providers at six locations throughout Puget Sound in association with the Virginia Mason Hospital. Pacific Medical Centers is also a US Family Health Plan payer for the Dept. of Defense.

About iTM Healtcare: iTM Healthcare, a dedicated healthcare management consulting practice within iTech Management, LLC, provides C-level executive management consulting to payer and provider information technology organizations. iTM Healthcare is a results oriented, been-there/done-that consulting group which hires only healthcare IT executives with a minimum of 10 years management consulting AND 10 years of healthcare corporate Director/VP/CIO/CTO experience. iTM Healthcare and iTech Management, LLC deliver results to their clients, not documents. As a member of the Mentorship Group, iTech Management, LLC maintains Strategic Alliances with local and nationally based technology and management consulting firms such as TripleNet Technologies, Inc. and The Watson Group.

For more information please contact Wayne Mackert at (425) 891-2128 or wmackert@itechmanagement.com. More information is available at http://www.itechmanagement.com.