CMHC Systems Announces National HIPAA Readiness Workshop; IBM, Cap Gemini Ernst & Young, and U.S. Department of Health & Human Services to Participate in Original Educational Event.

Business Editors, Health/Medical and High Tech Writers

DUBLIN, Ohio--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Nov. 16, 2000

CMHC Systems, a leading provider of information technology for healthcare and human services organizations, is pleased to announce its nationwide HIPAA readiness and education workshop, HIPAA Road Map - How Do I Get There From Here? The innovative and original event includes participation by industry-leading companies such as IBM, Cap Gemini Ernst & Young, M.T.M. Services, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, and many others.

HIPAA Road Map, the only educational forum designed specifically to address the HIPAA preparation issues for behavioral health, public health, and human services, will highlight the combined perspectives of government, technology, healthcare, insurance, legal compliance, and security experts, as well as the consumer. The workshop has already drawn registrations from across the country. Scheduled for January 25-26 in Boston, Massachusetts, the workshop coincides with CMHC Systems previously scheduled seminar, IT Horizons - Preparing for a Paperless Industry which is being offered to workshop registrants as a free pre-conference activity on January 24.

Keynote speaker Dr. William R. Braithwaite, Senior Advisor on Health Information Policy at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and a major contributor to the Administrative Simplification Subtitle of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996, will offer insight about the latest developments in HIPAA legislation. Dr. Braithwaite will also discuss the Security and Privacy Regulations expected to be finalized by the end of the year.

Workshop attendees will participate in roundtable discussions about transaction code sets, privacy and security, strategic planning, and compliance and legal issues, and have the opportunity to find out what their peers are doing to prepare for the major impact HIPAA will have on the entire industry. In addition, attendees are invited to a Gala Reception and are eligible to win one of three door prizes valued at over $1,000 each, awarded during the closing session of the HIPAA Road Map Workshop.

Other workshop guest speakers include: Holt Anderson, Executive Director of the North Carolina Healthcare Information and Communications Alliance, Inc.; Margaret Amatayakul, President of Margaret A Consulting; Dr. Barry Bates, practicing physician and healthcare and technology expert; Jane Branham, CMHC Clinical Product Manager; John Fraser, Site Manager for the Minnesota Health Data Institute's HealthKey Minnesota project; Camilla Hall, CMHC Manager of Implementation Services; Dr. Werner Hoellerbauer, CMHC Chief Technology Officer; David Lloyd, President MTM Services, LLC; Dr. Ronald Manderscheid, Chief of the Survey and Analysis Branch at the Center for Mental Health Services; John Paton, CMHC President & CEO; John Quinn, a Principal with the Center for Health Care Emerging Technologies of Cap Gemini, Ernst & Young's Health Care Consulting Practice; Dr. Russell Ricci, General Manager of IBM's Global Healthcare Industry; Dr. Walter Suarez, Executive Director of the Minnesota Health Data Institute; Jonathan Tomes, attorney with Tomes & Dvorak; and Henry Yennie, Senior Consultant with WES Group, Inc.

HIPAA legislation was enacted in 1996. Since that time, CMHC Systems has continually monitored the development of new policy and information and has devised a strategic plan for internal and external compliance. CMHC's workshop, HIPAA Road Map, is an exclusive educational forum in which industry leaders will come together to share their knowledge and learn about new developments in the law. This workshop is one of very few to bring this many professional and experienced healthcare, government, and IT experts together with the common goal of HIPAA awareness, education, and compliance specifically designed for the behavioral health, public health, and human services industries. Don't miss this important opportunity.

HIPAA Road Map - How Do I Get There From Here? will take place at the Boston Marriott Burlington, Boston, Massachusetts, January 25-26, 2001. For more information on the workshop or CMHC Systems, write us at HIPAA Road Map, c/o CMHC Systems, 570 Metro Place North, Dublin, Ohio, 43017; call 800-434-CMHC; fax [phone]; email [e-mail]; or visit our web site at www.cmhcsystems.com. Early registration is priced at $795 per person through December 22, 2000. Thereafter, advance registration is $995. Registration at the door, if space is available, will be $1,295. CMHC Systems is offering special pricing for multiple registrations from the same organization.

Since 1978, CMHC Systems has pioneered the development of technology and management information systems for human service organizations. Integrating clinical, financial, demographic, and staff data, the CMHC/MIS permits total information management. Using browser-based software and operating under UNIX, the CMHC/MIS combines a powerful multi-tasking system with Internet technology to create a graphical environment allowing quick and easy system navigation. The CMHC/MIS works with all major network architectures. CMHC has helped provide information management solutions to more than 500 organizations with 650 sites in 40 states and more than 25,000 end-users.