CMHC Systems Reaches Another Milestone in the Race For HIPAA Compliance; Second Transaction Code Set Certified as Compliant.

Business Editors & High Tech, Health/Medical Writers

DUBLIN, Ohio--(BW HealthWire)--May 15, 2001

CMHC Systems, a recognized leader in the development and delivery of information technology for healthcare and human services organizations and an active force in a nationwide HIPAA awareness campaign, has once again proved itself to be at the forefront of technological innovation.

Today, CMHC Systems' HIPAA Task Force Technology Committee successfully submitted a sample standard transaction for testing by the Electronic Healthcare Network Accreditation Commission. Using the CMHC/MIS and its impressive data collection and reporting capabilities and detailed parameter files, Transaction 837, Healthcare Claims: Professional version, was certified as meeting all requirements for the transaction and associated code sets as set forth by the Healthcare Insurance Portability and Accountability Act and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. In January, CMHC Systems was first to earn certification for Transaction 834, enrollment and disenrollment. This certification again makes CMHC Systems the first behavioral healthcare software vendor in the industry to earn this official accreditation.

Since its inception in 1978, CMHC Systems has recognized and respected the confidentiality and need to protect the privacy of sensitive client mental health records. HIPAA legislation was enacted in 1996 and since then CMHC Systems has continually monitored the development of new policy and information. Developers have steadily incorporated into the CMHC/MIS access restrictions, file protections, monitoring capabilities, and other mechanisms to ensure the security of the system and the information it holds.

"CMHC Systems continues to prove that organizations using the CMHC/MIS to manage their administrative, financial, and clinical information processing needs already have a firm foundation for meeting many of the compliance requirements of HIPAA," says Clinical Product Manager and HIPAA Task Force Chair Jane Branham. "CMHC Systems is on track to have the other standard transactions certified just as expeditiously as the first two, reinforcing our dedication to HIPAA awareness and our industry-wide commitment to educate and prepare."

To further illustrate the company's dedication to HIPAA education and compliance, CMHC Systems is planning to host an encore presentation of its national HIPAA readiness conference, HIPAA Road Map -- How Do I Get There From Here? The second installation, being held in response to rave attendee reviews and industry praise, will be held September 29 - October 1, 2001 in San Francisco, California. HIPAA Road Map II is among the first to offer an educational forum designed specifically for behavioral health, public health, and human services industries. The conference will again feature HIPAA experts from across the country including Jonathan Tomes of EMR Legal and Dr. Ronald Manderscheid of SAMHSA.

For over 20 years, 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. CMHC Systems has helped provide information management solutions to more than 500 organizations with 650 sites in 41 states and more than 25,000 end-users.

For more information about HIPAA Road Map, email [e-mail]. For more information about CMHC Systems, please write us at 570 Metro Place North, Dublin, Ohio, 43017; call 614-888-848-8111; fax [phone]; email [e-mail]; or visit our web site at www.cmhcsystems.com.