FDB Vela™ Achieves HITRUST Risk-Based, 2-Year Certification Demonstrating the Highest Level of Information Protection Assurance

Certification validates the FDB Vela™ commitment to strong cybersecurity and meeting key regulations to protect sensitive data

SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO, CA (December 6, 2023) — FDB (First Databank, Inc.), the leading provider of drug knowledge that helps healthcare professionals make precise decisions, announced today that its FDB Vela™ ePrescribing network, one of FDB’s newest solutions, has earned HITRUST Risk-based, 2-year (r2) Certified status demonstrating the highest level of information protection assurance.

FDB Vela, which was launched in March 2022, is a cloud-native ePrescribing network that enables the seamless flow of critical medication prescription information, benefits verification and clinical decision support between prescribers, payers, pharmacies and other constituents.

HITRUST Risk-based, 2-year (r2) Certified status demonstrates that FDB Vela has met demanding regulatory compliance and industry-defined requirements and is appropriately managing risk. This achievement places FDB in an elite group of organizations worldwide that have earned this certification. By including federal and state regulations, standards and frameworks and by incorporating a risk-based approach, the HITRUST Assurance Program helps organizations address security and data protection challenges through a comprehensive and flexible framework of prescriptive and scalable security controls.

“FDB Vela was launched last year on the core belief that an ePrescribing network should be open, highly scalable and flexible while offering cybersecurity peace of mind across all our participants,” said FDB President Bob Katter. “Earning the HITRUST Risk-based, 2-year (r2) Certified Certification so soon after our launch demonstrates to health IT developers, pharmacies, providers and payers that FDB Vela has achieved the highest standards for data protection and information security while empowering participation and fostering innovation.”

To achieve the HITRUST Risk-based, 2-year Certification, FDB Vela surpassed requirements across various comprehensive cybersecurity and data protection domains. The certification process also includes testing of controls developed from input from over 100 security professionals. 

“HITRUST Certification is globally recognized as validation that information security and privacy controls are effective and compliant with various regulations,” said HITRUST Chief Innovation Officer Jeremy Huval. “HITRUST Certification is considered the gold standard because of the comprehensiveness and applicability of the control requirements, depth of the assurance process and level of oversight that ensures accuracy. Individually, each element exceeds most other programs and collectively they make HITRUST Certification the most comprehensive, transparent, consistent and highest quality assessment available.”

Along with its demonstrated security controls, FDB Vela is built on a highly scalable and fully redundant platform hosted on Microsoft® Azure servers. FDB Vela includes API integration enabling electronic health record (EHR) developers to readily tap into features such as real-time pharmacy benefit services and electronic routing for specialty drugs to create services, customize ePrescribing workflows and streamline processes. FDB Vela also supports all ePrescribing standards set by the National Council for Prescription Drug Programs (NCPDP) and other pharmacy organizations. 

“We built FDB Vela with a ‘security-first’ architecture, an industry-recognized term that means it was developed using rigorous protocols and design elements that HITRUST and other cybersecurity authorities evaluate during their certification processes,” said FDB Vela General Manager Lathe Bigler. “By starting with a security-first mindset and leveraging the latest secure technologies in our design, FDB Vela earned HITRUST Risk-based, 2-year (r2) Certification in only six months, which is a remarkable achievement. Our commitment to protecting patients and our network participants will continue in the years ahead as we diligently maintain and proactively improve our controls well ahead of cybersecurity risks.” 

About FDB 
FDB (First Databank) creates and delivers the world’s most powerful drug knowledge that ignites, inspires, and illuminates critical medication decisions. We collaborate with our partners to help improve patient safety, operational efficiency, and health outcomes. Our drug databases drive healthcare information systems that serve the majority of hospitals, physician practices, pharmacies, payers, and all other areas of healthcare and are used by millions of clinicians, business associates, and patients every day. FDB Vela is a cloud-native electronic prescribing network that enables the seamless flow of critical medication prescription information, benefits verification, and clinical decision support between prescribers, payers, and pharmacies.
To learn more about FDB Vela, please visit fdbvela.com. For a complete look at FDB’s other solutions and services, please visit fdbhealth.com, or follow us on LinkedIn and YouTube.

About Hearst Health.
The mission of Hearst Health is to help guide the most important care moments by delivering vital information into the hands of everyone who touches a person’s health journey. Care guidance from Hearst Health reaches the majority of people in the U.S. The Hearst Health network includes FDB (First Databank), Zynx Health, MCG, Homecare Homebase and MHK. Hearst also holds a minority interest in the precision medicine and oncology analytics company Aster Insights. Follow Hearst Health on LinkedIn @Hearst-Health.

Media Contact 
Tara Stultz
Amendola Communications for FDB
M: 440-225-9595
[email protected]