Covansys Announces Creation of Center for Advanced Health Systems.

Business/Technology Editors and Health/Medical Writers

FARMINGTON HILLS, Mich.--(BW HealthWire)--Feb. 12, 2001

Covansys (NASDAQ: CVNS), the global technology services company formerly known as Complete Business Solutions, Inc., announced today the creation of the Center For Advanced Health Systems to help health care enterprises meet the technological demands imposed by the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA).

Enacted in 1996, HIPAA will create a standard format for the secure electronic exchange of patient data among various segments of the health care industry. The legislation is predicted to have an estimated financial impact of two to three times Y2K.

Alan Dowling PhD, senior vice president of Covansys, is responsible for directing the center's initiatives. Dowling's involvement in federal health legislation and federal health informatics task forces make his appointment a sound one. Dowling served on the White House Task Force on Health Care Reform, on the Information Management Task Force of the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations, on the Health Information Infrastructure programs of the Council on Competitiveness, and on the National Information Infrastructure initiative.

"For better or worse, HIPAA will be the catalyst for dramatic technological changes that will allow trading partners within the health care industry to interoperate more efficiently and in mutually beneficial ways," said Michael Bealmear, president and chief executive officer of Covansys. "Creation of the Center for Advanced Health Systems and Alan Dowling's appointment as its leader demonstrate our commitment to provide credible and trustworthy technology services as the industry copes with the challenges and opportunities presented by HIPAA."

HIPAA will have a major impact on every health insurer, hospital system, health care provider, ancillary care provider and pharmacy in the country. Under the legislation, every company within the health care industry is required to implement systems and processes for administrative simplification and protection of patient information. To achieve full HIPAA compliance, companies will be required to implement comprehensive system upgrades, implement new privacy capabilities, and facilitate a transfer from paper to electronic administrative processing.

"The introduction of the Center for Advanced Health Systems to the Covansys suite of industry leading services is demonstrative of the company's vast understanding of the technological demands," said Dowling. "Helping health care providers comply with these regulations is a goal we are highly capable of achieving. I am confident that Covansys will lead the industry in HIPAA-related success stories."

Covansys has already performed many HIPAA assessments and has assembled a team of industry experts to assist Dowling with the center's operations. The Center for Advanced Health Systems will be based in Farmington Hills, Michigan.

About Covansys

Covansys (Nasdaq: CVNS), formerly known as Complete Business Solutions, Inc., is a global technology services company specializing in Web-to-Enterprise Integration (WEISM), industry-specific solutions and strategic outsourcing. Since its founding in 1985, Covansys has successfully delivered fast, focused, high-quality yet cost-effective business and technical solutions, building a professional heritage that bridges `Old World' legacy systems and the New Economy's leading-edge e-business technologies. With one of the largest offshore capabilities of any U.S.-based technology services provider, Covansys is one of the few companies in the world to achieve the SEI's CMM(R) Level 5 quality ratings at its offshore development centers in India. Headquartered in Farmington Hills, Michigan, Covansys has 5,000 full-time employees at its domestic and international offices and was named one of the 100 fastest-growing US-based companies by Fortune Magazine in September 2000. Visit our website at: www. covansys .com.