Nuance “SpeechMagic Solution Builder”
awarded with the EU Privacy Seal

European Privacy Seal granted to Nuance “SpeechMagic Solution Builder”
Source: EuroPriSe
Published in HealthTechWire News - www.healthtechwire.com/
9 JUNE, 2010

A dictation workflow solution with Speech Recognition in compliance with rigid demands of European data protection laws.
KIEL. Germany / BRUSSELS, Belgium - The European Privacy Seal has been granted to Nuance Communications, Inc. for its workflow solution “SpeechMagic Solution Builder” 2.0 supporting digital dictation and speech recognition in medical environments.
The European Privacy Seal states that SpeechMagic Solution Builder is in compliance with the high demands of European data protection law.
SpeechMagic™ Solution Builder is a digital dictation workflow solution with speech recognition and can be integrated with a Hospital Information System (HIS).
The software records dictations from medical doctors and dispatches them for speech recognition or manual transcription. The written documents can then be included in the patient's medical record in the HIS.
SpeechMagic™ Solution Builder supports external workflows to connect hospitals with home offices and transcription service providers.
To do so, the workflow solution allows for pseudonymisation of audio files and transcriptions.

“Privacy by design is an effective tool to implement privacy.” states Kirsten Bock, head of “EuroPriSe” at “Unabhaengiges Landeszentrum fuer Datenschutz” (ULD, Office of the Data Protection and Freedom of Information Commissioner). “SpeechMagic Solution Builder fosters privacy and data security by specific assignment of access rights to individual user groups and its potential to implement policies concerning medical confidentiality.”

Data Protection Commissioner and head of ULD, Dr. Thilo Weichert adds: “User information is crucial when it comes to privacy.
The SpeechMagic Solution Builder documentation informs doctors and other users in an exemplary manner about relevant privacy issues.”

The EuroPriSe trust mark is issued by an independent certification body to IT products and IT-based services after successful completion of a quality-backed procedure: an evaluation by accredited legal and technical experts is validated by an independent and impartial certification body at the ULD – the Office of the Data Protection and Freedom of Information Commissioner.
The seal as well as the public reports provide transparent guidance when choosing or validating the privacy of an IT product or IT-based service.

“Data protection” is a prerequisit in bringing the benefits of IT solutions to modern healthcare. By successfully completing the EuroPriSe quality-controlled evaluation process, Nuance has proved that sensitive patient data is well taken care of in the SpeechMagic Solution Builder workflow.

This is of critical importance, especially because the Seal is based on the European Privacy Directives implemented in all Member States of the European Union and awarded by an independent certification body," says Marcel Wassink, Vice President EMEA Healthcare at Nuance.
Medical health information is highly sensitive personal information, yet necessary to guarantee best treatment for patients and to provide high quality care.
When it comes to recording medical treatment data speech recognition helps hospitals, clinics and practitioners to enhance patient service, to speed up medical reporting, and to decrease operating costs.
But when “cost-efficiency” rules, privacy is often at risk: a privacy-respecting and “highly reliable solution” bridges the gap.