SYPHERLINK RELEASES NEW PRODUCT TO ADDRESS HIPAA PRIVACY REGULATIONS

Sypherlink: Assistant TM Provides a Browser-based Application that Saves Up to 50 – 75%
Over Alternative Privacy Compliance Solutions

Columbus, Ohio; (August 15, 2002) -- Sypherlink, a leading technology firm focusing on information sharing and privacy solutions, today announced the release of a new product, Sypherlink: Assistant. The turnkey browser-based software application enables organizations to effectively and cost-efficiently comply with the complex requirements of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA).

The HIPAA Privacy Regulations are by far the most costly and challenging of HIPAA’s compliance areas and its violations are the most significant, including both civil and criminal penalties.

Healthcare industry participants will be required to complete extensive re-engineering of current business processes and develop new capabilities to better manage and control protected health information.

As the privacy compliance date of April 2003 quickly approaches, healthcare and related organizations will be impacted with increased liability for noncompliance including both government audits and personal lawsuits.

By utilizing Sypherlink: Assistant TM, organizations are able to appropriately manage consents, authorizations and business agreements as well as comply with the” minimum necessary”, disclosure reporting and auditing requirements that HIPAA mandates.

A unique attribute of Assistant is its ability to appropriately address the data integration and data aggregation requirements now imposed on organizations. The most time consuming, resource intensive and costly aspect of meeting compliance is the management of protected health information (PHI) that typically is spread out over several databases and business systems. In fact, much of the protected health information may not even reside in the business systems themselves; rather it may reside in spreadsheets on employees desktop systems.

By utilizing the Sypherlink: Harvester technology, Assistant easily interfaces with existing applications that hold protected health information (PHI); provides a single view of widely disparate data; and adds the functionality required to properly manage compliance with HIPAA Privacy Regulations.

“Our goal was to leverage our experience in data integration and ebusiness to create and deliver a flexible, low-cost, yet comprehensive and effective industry-wide solution that allows organizations to appropriately manage compliance with the HIPAA privacy requirements. Unlike other traditional approaches that are narrowly focused and force companies to adapt to the technology, the Sypherlink solution was designed from the floor up to address the most significant challenges that organizations are facing today.” said James Paat, President and CEO of Sypherlink.

The Assistant solution alleviates much of the concern healthcare participants face making decisions on how best to comply with HPAA standards, particularly those related to privacy.

About Sypherlink
Sypherlink is a software and technology firm focused on developing and applying innovative approaches to information sharing and collaboration. Sypherlink provides global 1000 companies, state and federal government, health care providers and insurance agencies with a revolutionary, patent-pending, rapid data integration solution and a browser-based privacy and security tool. Sypherlink is headquartered in Columbus, OH and maintains an office in Washington D.C. Sypherlink may be reached at 614-847-1800 or www.sypherlink.com.