VetCentric Achieves Payment Card Industry (PCI) Level 1 Compliance

Standard system created by credit card consortium to protect customer personal information;

VetCentric Only Vet-Sponsored Home Delivery Solution to Reach Milestone

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Feb 10, 2011, 02:12 ET

GLEN BURNIE, Md., Feb. 10, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- VetCentric, Inc. the largest provider of vet-sponsored home delivery services in the U.S., today announced that it reached PCI Level 1 compliance, a security standard created by the consortium of leading credit card providers (VISA, Mastercard and Discover) to protect consumer privacy in card transactions. Financial institutions, credit card companies and third party processors must adhere to these standards in order to accept credit card payments.

"PCI Level 1 compliance is a new standard for our industry and VetCentric is thrilled to be the first service provider to meet this important milestone," said Ted Root, VetCentric President and CEO.

The company has successfully completed a review of over two hundred security protocols that are required to be fully compliant with the highest-rated standard in the domestic credit card industry. Once the protocols were verified, certified PCI compliance auditors inspected the company's systems and security protocols to ensure that they were Level 1 compliant.

VetCentric made a significant investment in resources to reach Level 1 compliance, including new software that continuously monitors its computer network and automatically downloads security updates to prevent potential breaches. The company also instituted aggressive security protocols at its facilities to ensure better safeguards against unauthorized access to its network and transactional data.

Ted Root, President and CEO of VetCentric said, "PCI compliance is important to our partner clinics and their customers as it provides best-in-class protection against credit card fraud and identity theft. We are fully committed to do everything possible to protect any financial information that is used when doing business with VetCentric. Our clients trust us with their most private financial information and we take that responsibility very seriously. Meeting the PCI level 1 requirements best provides our customers with the peace of mind they expect from a world-class service company." He added, "VetCentric is the first and only vet-sponsored home delivery solution that meets the requirements for PCI level 1 compliance."

About VetCentric:

VetCentric, Inc. is a privately held company headquartered in the Baltimore-Washington area. The company is the only national veterinary-focused pharmacy offering home delivery of FDA and EPA approved pharmaceuticals, compounded medications, therapeutic and wellness diets and accessories to pet owners on behalf of veterinary clinics. Its comprehensive suite of services provides clinics with an online store that allows customized product selection and pricing, home delivery and client communication services. VetCentric firmly supports the Veterinarian-Client-Patient relationship in all its business practices, allowing veterinarians to stay at the center of their patients' care while improving service, encouraging compliance and decreasing clinic operating costs.

In the past 10 years, VetCentric has partnered with thousands of veterinary clinics to fill in excess of 2.5 million prescriptions for nearly 500,000 pet owners. Its pharmacy complies with the licensing and inspection requirements of all states in which it does business. For more information, please visit www.vetcentric.com.

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SOURCE VetCentric, Inc.