ROCHESTER, N.Y.--July 29, 2004-- Hospitals and health insurers preparing for the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) Security deadline in April 2005 are turning to Xerox Corporation's Global Services division for help. The Xerox HIPAA compliance risk assessment is designed to help healthcare companies evaluate current security-related efforts, deliver a roadmap for compliance by the deadline, and identify additional productivity and cost-saving opportunities using Lean Six Sigma methodology. "The demands of meeting HIPAA's compliance deadlines combined with the daily responsibilities faced by healthcare professionals can be daunting," said John Jones, vice president, Healthcare, Xerox Global Services. "Xerox's HIPAA compliance risk assessment removes the burden of interpreting regulations and delivers a baseline for healthcare organizations to address compliance requirements in a timely and cost-effective manner." Xerox's assessment has helped clients such as Saint Clare's Health System, a New Jersey-based healthcare network, identify key steps for achieving security compliance. By heightening staff education and providing recommendations for streamlining the management of critical documents, the assessment equipped Saint Clare's Health System with the necessary tools to meet compliance standards. "Xerox's holistic approach to HIPAA assessment will benefit our entire organization," said David Lundquist, chief operating officer, Saint Clare's Health System. "Their delivery of both compliance and efficiency recommendations in a simple, step-by-step format gives us confidence to take action and move closer to more effective compliance." To provide recommendations that are key to HIPAA compliance, Xerox Global Services delivers a scorecard that breaks down HIPAA regulations into nine comprehensive categories. For example, policies and procedures related to protected health information -- such as enrollment records, eligibility information, premium payments and claim submissions -- are reviewed and identified as "in compliance," "meets compliance but room for improvement," or "compliance risk."