FAIRFAX, Va., April 18, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- General Dynamics Information Technology today announced its achievement as the first Healthcare Application Service Provider hosting environment to receive Common Security Framework (CSF) Certified status from the Health Information Trust Alliance (HITRUST). The achievement follows a three-week audit of the processes and procedures of General Dynamics' Health Information Technology Solutions sector.

HITRUST established the CSF to be used by organizations that create, access, store or exchange personal health and financial information. The CSF is an information security framework that integrates the requirements of existing government and third party standards and regulations. This certified framework provides organizations with the needed structure, detail and clarity relating to information security tailored to the healthcare industry.

"General Dynamics is the first healthcare hosting-service provider to become CSF Certified," said Daniel Nutkis, chief executive officer for HITRUST.  "As many healthcare organizations are adopting the CSF to better manage risk and protect health information, the CSF Assurance program can further aid them by streamlining and simplifying the process of validating compliance for their business associates and trading partners. By not requiring each business associate to complete a proprietary questionnaire or undergo a unique assessment, costs and complexities relating to third-party compliance are reduced for both parties. General Dynamics has served as a leader and innovator in the field."

"Achieving CSF Certified status through a third-party organization has been a rigorous yet critical process that General Dynamics believes will enhance our ability to serve healthcare organization customers," said Marcus Collier, senior vice president of General Dynamics Information Technology Civilian and Homeland Security Solutions. "Our early adoption of the framework demonstrates a strong commitment to safeguard customer data while meeting tougher standards and increased regulation to address privacy concerns."

Jason Taule, chief information security officer of General Dynamics Information Technology's Health Information Technology Solutions sector, said, "This certification will ensure easy partnerships with healthcare organizations as they can accept it as full satisfaction of necessary information assurance requirements mandated by the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH) and Health Insurance Portability and Accountability (HIPAA) acts. This allows General Dynamics to meet customer demands quickly and more cost effectively."

For more information about General Dynamics Information Technology, a business unit of General Dynamics (NYSE: GD), please visit www.gdit.com.  

More information about General Dynamics is available online at www.generaldynamics.com.

SOURCE General Dynamics Information Technology