Authorization: a service quality challenge
Points of view | 15 Mar 2012
Point of view by Laurent Sinistro, head of Sigems Data Center.
Extract from the ASIP Santé's Annual Report 2011.
The hosting of health data is subject to authorization, which is granted by the French ministry of health. We hear from a data host that received authorization in late 2010.
How has being authorized to host personal health data been beneficial to Sigems?
From a technical and organizational point of view, authorization has enabled us to strengthen our security systems and put in place better procedures than we had before, in terms of functionality and integration of data. We are taking on a commitment made by the French ministry for labour, employment and health. We therefore have a considerable responsibility under the law, and clients must be able to trust us completely with their data. Currently, we are able to scale up our work, and we offer data hosting solutions that we would not have been able to build without this authorization.
In addition, from a commercial standpoint, we have received a large number of requests to host health data since we received authorization and first appeared on ASIP Santé's website.
Did this authorization lead to a significant increase in work?
We were authorized in December 2010, after one year of preparation which involved creating an application for authorization and carrying out an internal reorganization. The task is not over yet. We are perpetually reorganizing as part of the authorization process. If we want to develop our Data Center to take advantage of the latest technological innovations, we must explain these changes to ASIP Santé, and even submit a new application in some cases. It's a very positive move, as it enables us to offer a high-quality service to all of our clients.