COMPLIANCEDGE™ From CCH Gives Hospitals, Health Plans A Head Start On HIPAA

(RIVERWOODS, ILL., May 8, 2002) – An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure when it comes to health – and when it comes to healthcare compliance, too, according to CCH INCORPORATED (CCH), a leading provider of health law and compliance information. Healthcare organizations subject to the privacy and security requirements of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) can act now to ensure that their employees will know exactly what they must do to comply when the provisions of the Act become effective next year. ComplianceEdgeTM, an efficient and cost-effective training system from CCH and Ernst & Young, now offers training in HIPAA compliance training for hospitals, integrated delivery systems and health plans in a proven, web-based format.

"Training employees so that they understand the privacy procedures of the Act is an explicit requirement under HIPAA," noted Anne Geron, marketing manager for CCH’s health, medical and entitlements group. "While the official guidance mentions interactive software programs as an appropriate training method for larger organizations, we’ve found that ComplianceEdge can be effective in organizations from very small hospitals to large, integrated healthcare systems."

Expert Training That Documents Compliance

With ComplianceEdge, employees can access their lessons on their own PC, 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Because its tutorials are delivered over the Internet, ComplianceEdge eliminates the need for costly enhancements to an institution’s training structure. There is no need to install any software or inventory any CD-ROMs. ComplianceEdge can integrate seamlessly with any existing HR training programs.

ComplianceEdge provides a streamlined, cost-efficient means for training, but it does not compromise on quality. ComplianceEdge was developed by the trusted, expert legal analysis of CCH, in conjunction with the compliance experts of Ernst & Young, LLP. Each tutorial provides users with an interactive learning experience based upon the e-learning best practices used by some of the top healthcare organizations around the country.

The system documents employee training for both internal use as well as to demonstrate compliance to government and accreditation agency auditors. Most important, the ComplianceEdge training material is constantly updated to reflect any revised legislation and procedures, so organizations know that they are always providing accurate information.

HIPAA Series Lessons

ComplianceEdge materials for HIPAA include one series for hospitals and integrated delivery systems, with most lessons available now, and one series for health plans and managed care organizations which will be available shortly.

Hospital/IDS Series:

Business Associate Liability
Contracting with Business Associates
Introduction to Privacy, Security, and Code Sets
Patient Consents
Privacy and Security Risk Assessment
Privacy – Handling Protected Information
Privacy – Penalties of Noncompliance
Patient’s Right to Notice and Additional Protections*
Protected Health Information – Patients’ Rights*

Health Plan Series:

Consumer Consent Authorization*
Data Transfer and Minimum Necessary Information*
Overview for Health Plans*
PHI and IIHI – Disclosure and Confidentiality*
Requirements for Business Associates*

*Upcoming Releases

Lesson Structure

Presented using clear, easily identifiable headings and organization and lean graphics for faster download, each self-paced ComplianceEdge lesson takes approximately 60 minutes to complete.

The lessons employ a proven, interactive structure that identifies objectives, involves the learner and documents mastery of the material:

    • Pre-Test. Users are first given a pre-test to take a quick measure of their prior understanding of the subject.
    • Lesson Objectives. The tutorial presents the lesson objectives as defined events – meaning, the user is told specifically what job tasks the lesson will enable him or her to do accurately upon completion of the tutorial.
    • Setting the Stage. Explains the context of the issues covered in the lesson to "real-life" scenarios.
    • Practice Questions. The tutorial tests the users’ knowledge, providing immediate feedback.
    • Pop-up Windows. When needed, users can click on links to get a more detailed explanation of a particular topic.
    • Job-Specific Application Tips. Users get a quick review of each lesson to see how it applies to a related real-life job function.
    • Lesson Summaries. At the end of the lesson, the tutorial reviews the main points covered as a means of review.
    • Post-Test. The tutorial administers test questions benchmarking the user’s level of knowledge gained upon completing the course.

For More Information

For more information on ComplianceEdge, contact Daniel J. Weissburg at CCH at (847) 267-2145 or visit the ComplianceEdge web site at www.ComplianceEdge.com for more information and an online product demonstration.

About CCH INCORPORATED

CCH INCORPORATED, headquartered in Riverwoods, Ill., was founded in 1913 and has served four generations of business professionals and their clients. For more than 50 years, the company has regularly tracked, reported, explained and analyzed health and entitlement law for healthcare providers, insurers, attorneys and consumers.

CCH is the premier provider of Medicare and Medicaid information and publishes the industry standards, the CCH Medicare and Medicaid Guide and the CCH Healthcare Compliance Portfolio. CCH is a wholly owned subsidiary of Wolters Kluwer U.S. The CCH web site can be accessed at cch.com. The CCH Health web site can be accessed at health.cch.com.

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Editor’s Note: Members of the media interested in reviewing ComplianceEdge may contact Leslie Bonacum at (847) 267-7153 or mediahelp@cch.com.