Healthcare Compliance Training Series Adds Important New E-Learning Courses

CourseAvenue Announces the Addition of Two Important Titles to eComply for Healthcare Series of eLearning Courses

(RIVERWOODS AND WARRENVILLE, ILL., June 18, 2008) – CourseAvenue, a leader in learning content authoring systems and learning integration services, is pleased to announce that additional courses have been added to their eComply for Healthcare Series of eLearning courses. The new titles, Medicaid Fraud Enforcement and E-Medical Records Compliance, expand the series’ broad coverage of healthcare compliance issues and were written by health law analysts at CCH, publisher of numerous products for healthcare compliance professionals, such as CCH Health Care Compliance Reporter, The Health Care Compliance Professional’s Manual and the Journal of Health Care Compliance. CCH, a part of Wolters Kluwer Law & Business, is a leading provider of research products and software solutions in key specialty areas for healthcare, legal and business professionals (health.cch.com).

Other topics covered in the 107-course series for healthcare include HIPAA compliance, Stark and anti-kickback, EMTALA, billing and coding, payment issues, managed care, medical records, cost reports, Medicare Part D and patient rights to name a few. All of the courses developed on the CourseAvenue platform adhere to industry standards, such as AICC and SCORM, making publication and launching of the eComply series on learning management systems seamless.

“The addition of these titles demonstrates CCH’s commitment to the healthcare community by providing relevant and up-to-date compliance training,” said Joe Gorup, CEO of CourseAvenue. “We’re proud to partner with a leading information provider in the industry to offer eLearning compliance training to healthcare professionals when they need it.”

Healthcare providers are increasingly moving from paper records and implementing electronic medical records (EMR) systems. According to the Department of Health and Human Services, electronic medical records allow for comprehensive management of medical information and its secure exchange between healthcare consumers and providers. EMRs can help improve patient safety and reduce costs. Despite the benefits of EMRs, however, they also increase a provider’s exposure to liability resulting from unauthorized access. When implementing EMR systems, providers must ensure that their organizations are in compliance with state statutes and the HIPAA privacy and security rules. In addition, providers must be aware of state statutes, exceptions to Stark and anti-kickback rules, and other issues related to populating the medical record and using software features that may be problematic. E-Medical Records Compliance introduces healthcare professional to the risks and benefits of using EMRs.

The Medicaid Integrity Program is the first national strategy to combat fraud and abuse in the Medicaid program The federal government has appropriated millions of dollars for CMS to implement the program. With increased funding available, Medicaid providers should expect increased audits and enforcement activity. As a part of the government’s focus on detecting and preventing Medicaid fraud and abuse, the Medicaid law now requires entities making or receiving annual Medicaid payments of $5 million or more to establish policies to inform their employees, contractors and agents about state and federal false claims laws, whistleblower protections and the entity’s own policies for detecting and preventing fraud and abuse. The new Medicaid Fraud Enforcement lesson describes the Medicaid Integrity Program. It also addresses the federal False Claims Act, explains how it can affect providers, identifies specific risk areas and provides examples of what providers can do to mitigate risks.

“Combining the CourseAvenue eLearning system with CCH’s authoritative information creates an unmatched compliance resource that will help busy professionals stay current with issues and requirements with ease and confidence,” noted Susan Smith, JD, MA, CCH healthcare compliance coordinator.

Healthcare organizations have the ability to tailor eComply courses to their individual needs through CourseAvenue’s hybrid development approach. The series’ authors have identified specific elements of the off-the-shelf courseware as consumer editable, allowing for custom introductions, the addition of local policies and procedures, and the incorporation of a healthcare organization’s branding into their courses. To learn more about the eComply for Healthcare Series of courses for healthcare compliance training, please visit www.courseavenue.com.

About CourseAvenue

Since 2003, CourseAvenue has been simplifying the process of creating and distributing eLearning content through a unique online and on-demand platform allowing users to quickly build and publish standards-based eLearning courses. All courses are published in SCORM/AICC standards-compliant formats, integrating seamlessly into LMS systems used by organizations of all sizes in a wide range of industries. Global corporations, private publishers and eLearning distributors are discovering how CourseAvenue is making courseware development less complicated. Visit CourseAvenue at www.courseavenue.com.

About Wolters Kluwer Law & Business

Wolters Kluwer Law & Business is a leading provider of research products and software solutions in key specialty areas for legal and business professionals, as well as casebooks and study aids for law students. Its major product lines include Aspen Publishers, CCH, Kluwer Law International and Loislaw. Its markets include law firms, law schools, corporate counsel and professionals requiring legal and compliance information. Wolters Kluwer Law & Business, a unit of Wolters Kluwer, is based in New York City and Riverwoods, Ill.

Wolters Kluwer is a leading global information services and publishing company. The company provides products and services globally for professionals in the health, tax, accounting, corporate, financial services, legal and regulatory sectors. Wolters Kluwer has annual revenues (2007) of €3.4 billion ($4.8 billion), maintains operations in over 33 countries across Europe, North America and Asia Pacific and employs approximately 19,544 people worldwide. Wolters Kluwer is headquartered in Amsterdam, the Netherlands. For more information, visit www.wolterskluwer.com.

-- ### --

nb-08-101