Press Release

Wall Township, NJ, August 12, 1999 - Each year, an estimated 10 percent of all healthcare spending is attributed to fraudulent health insurance claims -- nearly $25 billion -- and the government wants payback. As a result, the feds are cracking down heavily on the country's healthcare organizations, forcing them to comply with strict anti-fraud and antiabuse initiatives.

This means that now, more than ever before, it is critical that healthcare organizations have a strong corporate compliance program in place.

Instituting a strong corporate compliance program could reduce any penalties levied in a healthcare fraud and abuse case by up to 95 percent. And an effective corporate compliance program begins with a concisely written "code of conduct"-the first suggested element in the Office of Inspector General's (OIG) model compliance plan.

The Healthcare Intelligence Network, http://www.hin.com - the gateway to healthcare business information on the Internet, has a number of resources available to help healthcare executives institute and maintain corporate compliance, including: A Case Study in Corporate Compliance-How Sutter Health Developed and Initiated Its Standards of Business Conduct; Compliance Across the Continuum: A Comprehensive Look at Healthcare Corporate Compliance; The Compliance Guide to the Medical Staff Standards, Second Edition; Corporate Compliance Self-Assessment and Planning; Seven Steps to HIM Compliance; Corporate Compliance Officer; and Briefings on Coding Compliance Strategies.

For more information on these compliance resources, contact the Healthcare Intelligence Network, PO Box 1442, Wall Township, NJ 07719-1442, (888) HIN-3530, fax(732) 292-3073, http://www.hin.com and info@hin.com.

The Healthcare Intelligence Network also offers weekly headline news in each of the five major topic areas (managed care/healthcare industry, long-term care, behavioral healthcare, health law and regulation, and hospital and health system management), a bookstore for healthcare professionals, a healthcare conference planner, a personalized health management news alert service and a rich, searchable archive of health management news.

The health and managed care information content is provided by participating healthcare publishing companies including: Health Resources Publishing, Managed Care Information Center, Manisses Communications, Opus Communications and Strafford Publications.

For more information on online subscriptions, personalized news service, site licenses or custom intranet feeds, contact Healthcare Intelligence Network at (888) HIN-3530 or (732) 528-HIN8 or email the Healthcare Intelligence Network at info@hin.com.

###