HIPAA Essentials Banking Partnership

Option Six, Inc. and the Medical Banking Project Sign Agreement to Co-develop HIPAA Essentials for Medical Banking Professionals
BLOOMINGTON, Indiana - The online education company Option Six, Inc. and the Medical Banking Project, a policy research and senior level strategic advisory firm, have entered into an agreement to co-develop a version of Option Six's online HIPAA Essentials for Professionals courses.

"HIPAA's impact on financial institutions is exceptionally demanding and complicated. The impact is broad and there is a critical need for education that breaks down the myths and complexities of the regulation into a 'bite size' approach that works for support staff, as well as bank management," comments John Casillas, founder of the Medical Banking Project, "We've been approached by a number of excellent firms but felt that Option Six provided the best fit." Casillas is the medical banking subject matter expert for the Healthcare Financial Management Association. He was recently appointed as a commissioner for the Electronic Healthcare Network Accreditation Commission, a highly respected standards organization.

Option Six combined the strengths of their award-winning course development teams with the regulatory understanding of Barnes & Thornburg, LLP, a legal firm that recently presented and won a health-care case before the Supreme Court. "E-learning provides many benefits, but only if it is designed well," explains Bill West, president of Option Six, "Today's busy professionals are not turning to e-learning because they have a simple thirst for knowledge; they have a problem to solve. No other 'problem' has so clearly represented the need for effective e-learning as HIPAA."

West continues: "While quality content is a fundamental component of our training, it's our ability to integrate real-life scenarios that take the HIPAA Essentials series to a whole new educational level. Our partnership with the Medical Banking Project enables us to produce a series of courses crafted to meet the requirement of the financial services industry." Through a training technique called Performance-Driven Learning, the HIPAA Essentials series place the students in realistic scenarios and challenge them with relevant problems to solve. By producing the solution to these problems, the students are able to retain the knowledge and apply it to their jobs. Through a flexible design and engaging multimedia, HIPAA Essentials also provides a leaner-centered and motivating environment.

The Medical Banking Project nationalized the issue of HIPAA's impact on financial institutions through high level policy discussions that included regulators with the Department of Health and Human Services. Even though the current focus on programming at the Project is directed toward HIPAA, its mission is to assist both banks and health-care entities to identify new service models that leverage the HIPAA mandates to create new medical payment efficiencies. In some cases, this has resulted in the formation of new cash management models that banks can offer to medical providers that both reduces their operating costs and provides new sources of fee revenues, much needed by banks.

"We've organized eight HIPAA Policy Roundtables with industry leaders, and two full day Institutes, inclusive of the Second National Medical Banking Institute to be held in Washington, DC on March 26, 2003. Our interaction with regulators, bankers, lawyers and industry leaders, together with ongoing outreach through our programs, supports our ability to provide accurate and reliable guidance to the financial industry," continues Mr. Casillas.

"Our approach is fundamentally different than other e-learning firms," says West. "HIPAA fulfillment requires more than simply delivering compliance training. Employees must demonstrate that they understand the regulations that impact them and apply these to their jobs day-to-day." The effectiveness, validity, and reliability of the training requirement for HIPAA are pivotal in that the risks and penalties for non-compliance are severe, including fines and jail terms.

In addition to the Medical Banking Project, Option Six has partnered with several other leading affiliates to produce industry-versions of HIPAA Essentials, including the Indiana University School of Nursing and the Massachusetts College of Pharmacy, which both provide continuing education credits. Option Six has been selected by over 20 major e-learning distributors and HIPAA compliance companies to provide HIPAA courseware for their clients. The Option Six methodology includes open architecture and compliance with SCORM 1.2, section 508, and other standards that optimize flexibility and seamless integration with national partners.


About Option Six
Located in Bloomington, Indiana, Option Six produces online education and training that have been recognized throughout the industry for their quality and effectiveness. By building a trusted relationship and forming a collaborative process with its clients, Option Six has consistently demonstrated the value of e-learning and produced enthusiastic client approvals, on time and on budget. For more information about Option Six, contact Bill West at (812) 337-9701 or send e-mail to west@option-six.com. Visit the Option Six web site at www.option-six.com.

About the Medical Banking Project
The Medical Banking Project is an independent policy research and strategic advisory firm established to promote the development of "Charitable Communities Network", an industry model that leverages HIPAA's security, privacy and electronic mandates to deliver substantive cost benefits to care givers. The firm does not provide legal advice and urges medical banking stakeholders to consult with private counsel. Visit www.mbproject.org or call 615-794-2009 for further information.