Optio Software Announces Innovative Strategy to Help Healthcare Organizations Meet HIPAA Compliance Regulations while Preparing for its Convergence with e-Healthcare and the Computerized Patient Record

Business Wire, Feb 5, 2001

Business Editors

ATLANTA--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Feb. 5, 2001

HIPAASmart(TM) Addresses Internal and External Information Compliance

Issues Facing Covered Entities in One Powerful, Scalable Solution

Optio Software Inc. (NASDAQ: OPTO), a leading provider of e-healthcare solutions that enable organizations to exchange information between patients, payors and providers, today announced the most unique and complete solution strategy aimed at helping covered entities (payors, providers and claims clearinghouses) deal with the technology and process issues needed to comply with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) while at the same time, preparing for its convergence with e-healthcare and the Computerized Patient Record (CPR).

HIPAASmart delivers on the need healthcare organizations have to utilize technology to facilitate the secure and private exchange of information to internal and external patient care team members in one powerful, scaleable solution. It addresses all four areas of compliance--Transaction Code Formats, Unique Identifiers, Privacy and Security--both internally within an organization's bricks and mortar, while also managing the exchange of information externally between hospitals, physicians, payors and patients/members. Optio will unveil the advantages of HIPAASmart today in booth #3146 at the HIMSS 2001 conference and exhibition in New Orleans.

Experts agree that one of the primary forces behind HIPAA is to drive the healthcare system towards a fully computerized patient record (CPR) as well as total e-healthcare. HIPAASmart facilitates these initiatives by providing a direct COLD (Computer Output to Laser Disk) feed to a medical records system, while web-enabling all records for physicians, payors and other authorized patient care team members to securely view them from any authorized web browser. In addition, HIPAASmart can integrate and disseminate electronic information, both internally and externally, while also allowing secured, private access to the information. By adding HIPAASmart to its e-healthcare strategic initiatives, an organization can reduce overall operating costs and gradually implement e-healthcare tools on a departmental or enterprise-wide basis, in a manner that meets the individual organization's goals.

Specifically, HIPAASmart helps covered entities meet several key regulatory compliance requirements including:

Internal Compliance Requirements:

    --  Security regulations to prevent any breach in patient
        information being used against an individual for purposes such
        as employment, publicity, insurance, etc.

    --  Privacy regulations to restrict an individual patient's
        information to only those who need to see it.

External Compliance Requirements:

    --  Transaction Code Sets (also known as Transaction Standards)
        which also includes proposed legislation for unique identifiers
        for providers, payors, employers and individuals.

    --  Unique Identifiers which determines through pre-defined
        business rules which parties are granted access to an
        individual's information.

"Optio's HIPAASmart(TM) solution does more than just address HIPAA regulations; it is a comprehensive information exchange, delivery and messaging platform to launch an organization into e-healthcare and beyond," said Mark Isbitts, healthcare product manager for Optio. "Bringing an organization into compliance with HIPAA regulations means different things for different organizations. Every organization is currently struggling with the `specific-but-vague' regulations, researching the complexity of the regulations, interpreting the impact upon their own organization's situation and evaluating the technology offerings available to them. Recognizing this, Optio is developing a comprehensive, highly scalable and flexible solution to help our customers meet and exceed the challenge that HIPAA represents," he added.

HIPAASmart draws upon Optio's best-of-breed solutions installed in over 500 hospitals, Integrated Delivery Networks (IDN) and some of the country's leading payor organizations, including several Blue Cross/Blue Shield plans.

"Our approach to address both internal and external compliance issues is architecturally superior to competing solutions," said Daryl Hatton, chief technology officer for Optio. "HIPAASmart not only meets the complicated regulatory compliance issues directly, it is also designed to improve internal and external processes, improve communications and reduce an organization's costs. The solution will enable organizations in their HIPAA compliance efforts, utilizing baseline security and privacy features that can be easily customized based on the individual needs of an organization. This flexibility and scalability is one of the highlights and competitive advantages of the Optio solution," he added.

HIPAASmart will deliver the following features and functionalities:

    --  Auditing capabilities to produce tracking/audit reports

    --  Increased security through user ID and password

    --  Adaptability to additional security features such as digital
        certificates and electronic signatures

    --  "Click and drag" translation of any formats into the
        HIPAA-mandated format for all applicable transaction codes

    --  Enhanced "clinical folders" for browser-based viewing by
        physicians

    --  Automatic log out capabilities

    --  Authentication based on role and user levels

    --  Pre-designed templates of HIPAA-specific documents