Over 300 Healthcare Organizations Turn to Phoenix Health Systems' Security Policies Suite to Meet HIPAA Security Compliance Deadline

MONTGOMERY VILLAGE, Md., Sept. 21 /PRNewswire/ -- Phoenix Health Systems' Security Policies Templates are generating increased interest as the HIPAA Security deadline approaches. Introduced late last year, the policies have already been selected by over 300 healthcare and related organizations nationwide, and sales are on the rise.

HIPAA legislation has established an April 2005 deadline by which all covered healthcare organizations must implement a complete, documented security program to protect electronic health information. An important component is developing the organization's security policies -- a time- consuming task that takes strong security expertise and HIPAA knowledge. Policy language must reflect the Security Rule's complex requirements, yet be simple enough to be understood and applied by the entire organization's workforce.

The HIPAA Security Policies Templates Suite consists of 54 detailed, customizable security policies mapped to all major components of the HIPAA Rule, based on security industry best practices and standards, and fine-tuned to the realities of healthcare provider environments. "The demand for this type of tool is growing," says D'Arcy Gue, Phoenix' Executive Vice President. "Our security policies appeal to a broad market -- from large health systems and hospitals to smaller clinics and physician practices. We have licensed the policies to healthcare organizations, health plans, states, counties, and community services."

The suite has been purchased and is being integrated into the security programs of such major healthcare organizations as Partners Healthcare System, Provena Health, Sharp HealthCare, Sheppard Pratt, University of Pennsylvania Medical Center, and the University of Virginia. Chad Jaeckel, Director of IT Services for the Indiana University Health Center, tells us, "You truly have produced a great product. The depth and thoroughness of each of the 54 templates far exceeds what could have been created in-house ... and have easily cut in half the workload involved. The templates by themselves provide an excellent guide and focal point that together, precisely highlight the requirements for complying with the HIPAA security rules. The time savings alone is worth the cost of the template package many times over."

The HIPAA Security Policies Templates Suite remains the only comprehensive set of security policies designed specifically to meet the needs of healthcare provider organizations. Developed by certified security specialists with strong healthcare experience, the series may be purchased as a set, or policies may be bought individually via a perpetual license for indefinite use and customization, at a reasonable price.

To learn more about Phoenix Health System's HIPAA Security Policies Templates Suite's content, pricing, and secure online delivery, visit: http://www.hipaadvisory.com/Wares/Security/.

About Phoenix Health Systems

A major provider of healthcare information systems consulting and outsourcing services, Phoenix Health Systems has been widely recognized for its web-based HIPAA knowledge resources, including http://www.hipaadvisory.com/, the HIPAAlert E-newsletter, the Healthcare Industry HIPAA Compliance Survey (co-sponsored by HIMSS), and its monthly audio conference programs. The firm's staff of 120+ IT professionals provides value-driven solutions to hospitals and other healthcare provider organizations through information technology department outsourcing; IT strategic planning, systems procurement and implementation; and specialty consulting assistance in HIPAA compliance, information security, e-Health, clinical transformation, and revenue enhancement.

Phoenix Health Systems

CONTACT: D'Arcy Guerin Gue, Executive Vice President of Phoenix Health
Systems, +1-301-869-7300

Web site: http://www.phoenixhealth.com/http://www.hipaadvisory.com/Wares/Securityhttp://www.hipaadvisory.com/