Sybase Powers HIPAA Compliance and Data Warehousing Solution for Ochsner Health Plan

Business Wire, August 20, 2002

Business Editors/Health & Medical Writers

DUBLIN, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Aug. 20, 2002

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SYNOPSIS:

Ochsner Health Plan has purchased New Era of Networks' HIPAA Repository through Sybase.

-- The HIPAA Repository stores HIPAA transactions such as claims, eligibility and enrollment data

-- HIPAA Repository accelerates time to market, assuring organizations will meet HIPAA deadlines

-- Ochsner is using the HIPAA Repository to comply with HIPAA regulations as well as a foundation for future data warehouse activities

-- KPMG Consulting teams with Sybase to provide proven healthcare solutions that Ochsner can implement immediately for quick return on investment

Sybase, Inc. (NYSE:SY), a leading enterprise infrastructure and integration company, today announced that Ochsner Health Plan (OHP) of Louisiana will implement New Era of Networks(R) HIPAA Repository.

The HIPAA Repository is used by payors, providers, state agencies and clearinghouses to house data content that is not accommodated by many back-end systems, but must be attached to the remittance advice that payors send back to providers in order for organizations to comply with Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) regulations. The HIPAA Repository stores HIPAA transactions such as claims, eligibility and enrollment data.

OHP, a current Sybase customer, was already using New Era of Networks EDI Server. With this existing foundation and in-house expertise, the company felt that the HIPAA Repository fit into the established technology plan, and this established solution increased speed to market, which is key to meeting HIPAA regulations.

"We already had products offered by Sybase, so this purchase extends our strategic relationship," said Guru Ghosh, senior vice president and chief information officer for Ochsner Health Plan. "Short term, the HIPAA Repository will help fulfill all HIPAA mandates, but we are mainly looking at this product as the driver of our long-term data warehousing initiative. Our customers need us to respond to inquiries and claims quickly and accurately, so we need information effectively and efficiently. The HIPAA Repository available from Sybase is the first step to making the data repository a reality."

The foundation of HIPAA Repository is Sybase's Industry Warehouse Studio(TM) (IWS) for Healthcare solution. The power and versatility of Sybase's IWS infrastructure allows organizations to quickly and easily migrate information to their data warehouses. By leveraging Sybase's proven technology, HIPAA Repository allows healthcare organizations to quickly implement a compliance-enabling solution faster than if they built the solution in-house. The result is increased efficiency for the organization and its transaction processing capabilities. And because of HIPAA Repository's open architecture, it connects to all HIPAA technology available from Sybase, including HIPAA Accelerator and EDI Server, as well as many other HIPAA solutions available in the market today. One of the HIPAA Repository's most unique features is the ability to deploy on any relational database, such as Sybase Adaptive Server(R) Enterprise or Adaptive Server(R) IQ Multiplex(TM).

"For an existing client such as OHP, Sybase provides a migration path to a complete data warehouse," said Paul Roscoe, director of healthcare e-Business for Sybase. "HIPAA Repository is the bridge between a tactical HIPAA implementation that helps clients adhere to mandates, and a strategic data warehouse that provides ROI and competitive advantages."

Sybase and KPMG Consulting, Inc. (Nasdaq:KCIN), one of the world's largest business consulting and systems integration firms, have teamed to complete this OHP implementation. By working together with clients such as OHP, Sybase and KPMG Consulting can combine proven technology with methodologies to provide a comprehensive service to the healthcare industry. "Sybase offers a comprehensive repository that tightly controls reporting around inbound and outbound transactions. This solution can offer healthcare payers and providers significant competitive advantages," said T.C. Kaiser, senior manager with KPMG Consulting.

For more information on Sybase's healthcare solutions, please visit the company's Web site at: http://www.sybase.com/healthcare. Sybase partners with industry-leading solution providers to bring innovative technologies to market to solve customer business problems. To learn more about partnering with Sybase, please go to http://www.sybase.com/partner.> For more information about KPMG Consulting, Inc., visit the company's Web site at http://www.kpmgconsulting.com/.> About Ochsner Health Plan

Established in 1985 by Ochsner Clinic and Ochsner Foundation Hospital, Ochsner Health Plan (OHP) provides managed care services to a growing list of more than 210,000 members. Its selection of products and services are specifically designed to meet the needs of individuals of all ages, the self-employed and all sizes of employer groups.