EHNAC Releases New Criteria for Five Accreditation Programs

FARMINGTON, Conn.--(Business Wire)--
The Electronic Healthcare Network Accreditation Commission (EHNAC), a non-profit
standards development organization and accrediting body, announced today the
adoption of five new versions of program criteria. After a 60-day public comment
period for the draft criteria, EHNAC has finalized and adopted the enhanced
criteria versions for the organization`s Healthcare Network Accreditation
Program (HNAP-EHN) and e-Prescribing Accreditation Program (ePAP), as well as
the first versions of Financial Services Accreditation Program (FSAP-EHN),
Financial Services for Lockbox Program (FSAP-Lockbox) and Healthcare Network
Accreditation Plus Select SAS 70(©)1 Criteria Program (HNAP-70).

Organizations that apply for accreditation or re-accreditation after Jan. 1,
2009 will now adhere to the enhanced criteria standards. Criteria for all EHNAC
programs are posted online at www.ehnac.org/ap_criteria.html.

"As a number of organizations and their data exchanges evolve and increase in
complexity, our standards for evaluating the achievement of those organizations
must also continue to evolve," says Mark Gingrich, commissioner and criteria
committee chair of EHNAC. "We pride ourselves on our thorough evaluation
criteria, and the new criteria versions we`ve adopted this year will allow us to
stay ahead of ever-changing industry standards while incorporating the feedback
received from leaders in the marketplace."

* HNAP-EHN accreditation recognizes excellence in health data processing and
transactions and indicates compliance with industry-established standards and
HIPAA regulations.
* ePAP accreditation ensures e-prescribing quality business performance through
compliance with all necessary and relevant industry-established guidelines,
standards and criteria.
* FSAP-EHN demonstrates that a financial services organization meets a high
standard of quality in handling protected health information as well as ensuring
that it follows industry-established criteria for processing payments and other
financial transactions.
* FSAP-Lockbox differs from the other EHNAC accreditation programs in that
certain performance metrics are modified or not included since a lockbox
operation does not receive standards-based transactions. Also, specific document
handling and delivery criteria are unique to this program.
* HNAP-70 ensures that an organization`s general IT controls are more
comprehensive to assist in the preparation of SAS 70(©)1 or Sarbanes-Oxley
audits.

1 SAS 70(©) is a proprietary term owned by the American Institute of Certified
Public Accountants (AICPA).

About EHNAC

The Electronic Healthcare Network Accreditation Commission (EHNAC) is a
voluntary, self-governing standards development organization (SDO) established
to develop standard criteria and accredit organizations that electronically
exchange healthcare data. These entities include electronic health networks,
payers, financial services firms and e-prescribing solution providers.

EHNAC was founded in 1993 and is a tax-exempt 501(c)(6) nonprofit organization.
Guided by peer evaluation, the EHNAC accreditation process promotes quality
service, innovation, cooperation and open competition in healthcare. To learn
more, visit www.ehnac.org or contact info@ehnac.org.

Dodge Communications
Dave Anderson, 770-576-2547
danderson@dodgecommunications.com
or
EHNAC
Debra Hopkinson, 860-676-8595
dhopkinson@ehnac.org

Copyright Business Wire 2009