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Stamford, CT—July 9, 2002— The Thomson Corporation (NYSE: TOC; TSX: TOC),
the world’s largest provider of corporate and professional learning
solutions, and HIPAA Academy, a HIPAA skills and knowledge development
organization, today announced a partnership to develop comprehensive,
blended learning solutions for the healthcare industry with respect to the
Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA). Thomson and
HIPAA Academy will provide HIPAA courseware and certification programs to
help organizations understand and implement the HIPAA legislation in time
to prevent huge financial and administrative burdens.
HIPAA requires the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to develop
standards that ensure the security, confidentiality and integrity of
patient healthcare information. The legislation, created to prevent fraud
and abuse within the healthcare industry and to reduce administrative
costs, mandates that any organization that accesses, stores, maintains or
transmits patient-identifiable information must meet strict deadlines to
become compliant or face severe penalties. With the first part of the
HIPAA legislation taking effect on October 16, 2002 and with future
compliance dates fast approaching, the partnership between Thomson and
HIPAA Academy is critical to an industry that very quickly needs HIPAA
training to implement company-wide compliance solutions.
“Other HIPAA learning programs fall far short of providing a truly
integrated, blended learning solution,” said Joe Dougherty, president of
NETg and Course Technology. “Organizations have always come to Thomson
because they know we understand the entire learning process ranging from
assessment to must-have content to certification, and can benefit from our
expertise. This relationship presents an excellent opportunity for us to
demonstrate our ability to roll out a complete learning solution across
multiple markets with content parity across multiple platforms."
In an effort to assist companies in understanding and implementing the
requirements developed by the HIPAA legislation, HIPAA Academy created a
learning and certification program to develop national standards for
individuals to deliver HIPAA-related implementation solutions. HIPAA
Academy framework for skill development is a two level program:
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Level 1 builds foundation skills so professionals may understand and
interpret the HIPAA Administrative Simplification Title and its specific
provisions of transactions, code sets, identifiers, privacy and security. After receiving Level 1 training, individuals take the HIPAA Certified
Professional Exam to validate their knowledge and skill level.
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Level 2 of the program delivers solution skills in the specific area of
transactions and code sets of privacy and security. Depending on the area
of specialization, the individual may take the Certified HIPAA Transaction
Specialist Exam or the Certified HIPAA Security Specialist Exam. Level 2
specialists may be part of HIPAA implementation teams that are responsible
for planning, positioning, and preparing HIPAA compliance-related
solutions within their organization.
Thomson will be the exclusive, authorized courseware and training provider
for all HIPAA Academy Level certification tracks.
“Skilled professionals are urgently required to lead and assist
organizations to plan and prepare HIPAA compliance-related solutions.
These professionals must understand the fine details of the core
requirements of the legislation to develop custom-tailored compliance
solutions that meet the business objectives of their enterprise. HIPAA
knowledge and skill development is a critical initial step,” said Uday O.
Ali Pabrai, CEO of HIPAA Academy. “We partnered with Thomson, a company
that is well established in the information technology and corporate
training spaces, because they can deliver tailored solutions, in multiple
formats, and are well-respected for the breadth and depth of their
content.”
Thomson is leveraging the expertise of several of its business units to
bring this solution to market jointly with HIPAA Academy. The solution
consists of the following:
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Course Technology – Offers the exclusive, authorized HIPAA certified
courseware materials and books using its flexible, proven approach to
teaching and learning;
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NETg – Provides HIPAA Academy certified online learning solutions
through its award-winning e-Learning technologies, emphasizing a “learn by
doing” approach where real-world situations and interactions are
incorporated into the learning experience;
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Prometric – Provides a full suite of technology-enabled testing and
assessment services. It has the world’s largest computer-based test
delivery network and flexible test scheduling services, giving healthcare
professionals unprecedented access and convenience to new certification
exams. In addition, Prometric’s Web-based testing tool, PRIME, will also
be deployed to assess learner knowledge and skills.
About Thomson, Course Technology, NETg & Prometric
The Thomson Corporation (www.thomson.com), with 2001 revenues of $7.2
billion, is a global leader in providing integrated information solutions
to business and professional customers. Thomson provides value-added
information, software applications and tools to more than 20 million users
in the fields of corporate training, assessment and testing, higher
education, reference information, law, tax, accounting, financial
services, and scientific research and healthcare. The Corporation's common
shares are listed on the New York and Toronto stock exchanges (NYSE: TOC; TSX: TOC). Course Technology (www.course.com) is the worldwide leader in
computing education, offering more than 1,600 print and innovative
technology-based products for business and technology training. NETg (www.netg.com)
is a global leader in blended learning for corporations with a complete
solution of content, technology and services. NETg’s offering is comprised
of its award-winning e-Learning courseware, Course Technology books,
CourseCards and instructor-led training manuals, Wave accelerated IT Boot
Camps and self-study kits, and online executive education and MBA
programs. Prometric (www.prometric.com) is the global leader in
technology-enabled testing and assessment services for information
technology certification, academic admissions, and professional licensure
and certifications through a network of more than 4,800 testing centers in
more than 140 countries.
About HIPAA Academy
HIPAA Academy delivers solutions to assist organizations with their HIPAA
initiatives in the areas of HIPAA Professional Services, HIPAA Assessment,
Interim HIPAA Compliance Officer and HIPAA Training and Certification. The
HIPAA Academy is about developing and validating HIPAA knowledge. The
training and certification program is designed to deliver the skills
required for Certified HIPAA Professionals and Administrators to be
effective members of enterprise HIPAA implementation initiatives. The
HIPAA Academy also includes programs for Executives as well as HIPAA
Compliance Officers. The HIPAA Academy program is delivered in partnership
with world class training centers in all key markets. Attendees of the
HIPAA Academy program have included health care professionals from
hospitals, physician’s practices, insurance companies, legal professionals
and IT professionals such as CISSP as well as MCSEs and CNEs.
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