DSS Research Among First to Apply for New Health Care Information Privacy CertificationFORT WORTH, Texas, Aug. 14, 2003 -- DSS Research, a national market research firm specializing in health care, announced that it is among the initial class of health care organizations to apply for certification under the new Privacy Certification Program for Business Associates recently launched by the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO) and the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA). The new certification program gauges the effectiveness of companies referred to as business associates under the federal Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) in safeguarding the privacy of personally-identifiable health information. As one of the founding research participants in the HEDIS(R) survey and the nation's largest health care- focused market research group, DSS Research was among the first of eight organizations to apply for the new certification. "We've always led in the investment of information processing systems and privacy safeguards in all of our work for every one of our health care clients," said Roger Gates, DSS president and CEO. "DSS Research has already put into practice the systems needed to maintain the privacy of personal health information. It's a natural step for us to be one of the first to have our processes reviewed and certified. The confidentiality of information is mission critical for our clients, their members and everyone in the health care industry." The PCBA program reviews a number of processes, policies and practices business associates have in place to maintain the privacy and integrity of personally-identifiable health information, including: privacy protections for all forms of health information, security for the use, disclosure and storage of information, employee training procedures, methods for consumer access to their own information and contract negotiations between covered entities and business associates. DSS expects to begin the certification process this month. About DSS Research DSS Research is a national health care marketing research firm. Over the past 20 years, DSS has conducted research and provided insight for all types of leading health care companies -- from health insurance, hospitals and employer groups to medical products manufacturers, pharmaceutical companies and other benefit plan providers. The firm's services include satisfaction research, marketing communications and strategy research and health risk assessment, giving DSS a high-level view of the evolving health care business. DSS employs more than 135 health care information specialists. For more information, please visit http://www.dssresearch.com . SOURCE DSS Research Web Site: http://www.dssresearch.com |