HCPro Chosen for Kaiser Permanente's HIPAA Training Program.

Business Editors and Health/Medical Writers

MARBLEHEAD, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Aug. 21, 2002

HCPro Corp.'s online learning division, HCProfessor, has been selected to provide medical privacy compliance training to employees of America's largest not-for-profit health maintenance

HCProfessor will provide content for Kaiser Permanente to train all staff members for HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act) privacy compliance by April 14, 2003, when the rule creating federal privacy rights for personal health information is scheduled to take effect.

The HIPAA "Standards for Privacy of Individually Identifiable Health Information" are intended to ensure patients that the privacy of their medical records is secure, and to ensure that this information is used appropriately, according to the Department of Health and Human Services.

Oakland, Calif.-based Kaiser Permanente has 127,000 employees, 11,000 physicians, and serves 8.4 million members in nine states and the District of Columbia.

In announcing the agreement, HCPro's chief executive officer, Bruce Guzowski, said, "HCPro offers a full range of products to help meet the staff education requirement of HIPAA."

About HCProfessor

HCPro Corp. (HCPro) launched its online learning division, HCProfessor (www.hcprofessor.com), in June 2001. There are now more than 100 HCProfessor courses online in such topics as HIPAA compliance, Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations' (JCAHO) pain management standards, JCAHO medical staff standards, and Medicare billing compliance. Users will also find CE (continuing education) quizzes for coding compliance and restraints. HCPro's HIPAA training solution offers a library of 11 job-specific courses designed to provide training relevant to the responsibilities of all health care employees.

HCProfessor also offers custom online course development on HIPAA, JCAHO accreditation, medical records/HIM, corporate compliance, coding compliance, credentialing/privileging/medical staff, long-term care facility and patient safety, physician practice management, and health care administration.

About HCPro

HCPro (www.HCPro.com) is a leading publisher and educator on regulatory and compliance issues faced by hospitals, home health organizations, nursing homes, physicians' offices, and other health care facilities. Established in 1986, HCPro is the parent company of Opus Communications and The Greeley Company.

Opus Communications is a leading publisher of newsletters and books about health care compliance and regulatory issues for the healthcare industry. The Greeley Company is a healthcare consulting and educational services firm. HCPro also provides content-rich vertical niche Web sites along with related free e-mail newsletters to create specialized communities for health care professionals. HCPro is headquartered at 200 Hoods Lane in Marblehead, MA.