The SSI Group, Inc. Joins Claredi Associate Program

    MOBILE, Ala., and SALT LAKE CITY, Utah, April 30 /PRNewswire/ -- The SSI
 Group, Inc. (SSI) and the Claredi Corporation announced today that they have
 formed a partnership to provide definitive HIPAA EDI testing and certification
 services to SSI clients through the Claredi Associate Program (CAP).
     CAP was developed to assist vendors, clearinghouses and payer
 organizations with the enormous task of assisting the provider community in
 the transition toward HIPAA standard EDI transactions.  Program participants
 deliver the added value of Claredi's authoritative, objective, third-party
 assessment of each organization's HIPAA compliance capabilities, while
 providing a discount to providers.
     The Claredi and SSI partnership will enable providers to take a
 significant step toward fulfillment of their obligations under HIPAA law and
 help to ensure that their cash flow is not interrupted following the October
 16, 2003, deadline for HIPAA compliance.  According to the checklist for HIPAA
 readiness recently released by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services
 (CMS)(www.cms.hhs.gov), "it is up to ... the healthcare provider to see to it
 that (their) transactions are being conducted in compliance with HIPAA."
     "We're excited about our partnership with Claredi," said SSI President and
 CEO Bobby Smith.  "We chose Claredi as a partner because of their outstanding
 reputation in transaction code set testing and certification associated with
 HIPAA.  Their services will bring many benefits to our clients as they prepare
 for the October 16 deadline."
     Larry Watkins, executive vice-president and CEO of Claredi noted, "By
 facilitating Claredi's testing and certification service for its customers,
 The SSI Group is demonstrating that it is serious about HIPAA.  Not only will
 they help reduce their providers' HIPAA burden, but they are also helping
 those providers achieve the real and lasting benefits to be derived from
 standardized HIPAA EDI transactions."
 
     About Claredi
     Claredi is the nation's leading commercial provider of HIPAA EDI
 compliance testing and certification.  As the only testing and certification
 service whose interpretations of the HIPAA Implementation Guides were
 developed by the guide authors themselves, Claredi offers payers, providers,
 clearinghouses and vendors definitive certification that their healthcare EDI
 is compliant with the requirements of HIPAA legislation.  Claredi also offers
 an extensive range of supplemental HIPAA EDI testing services.  More
 information on Claredi is available at www.claredi.com.
 
     About The SSI Group, Inc.
     The SSI Group, Inc. (SSI) is a national, diversified Information
 Technology company established in 1988.  The company maintains corporate
 headquarters in Mobile, Ala., and branch facilities in Clearwater, Fla.;
 Denver, Co.; and Chesapeake, Va.  The company has approximately 300 employees
 and more than 1,200 clients nationwide.  SSI leads the healthcare field in
 claims management technology, EDI platforms and networking.  The company
 offers a wide range of services and technologies for both payers and providers
 in EDI claims processing, document management and business office outsourcing.
 The company also offers eligibility and Medicare compliance verification and
 optical storage as a central archive.  For more information, visit the SSI Web
 site at www.thessigroup.com.
 
 

SOURCE  The SSI Group, Inc.