Software Speeds Compliance with New NIH Conflict of Interest Requirements

Software Speeds Compliance with New NIH Conflict of Interest Requirements

HCCS COI-SMART Quick-Start Option Available Now

JERICHO, N.Y., June 5, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- HCCS (Health Care Compliance Strategies, Inc.), the leading provider of effective healthcare compliance solutions, has released the COI-SMART Quick-Start Option, a version of the HCCS COI-SMART conflict of Interest management system designed to meet upcoming mandatory COI rules from the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20061010/NYTU194LOGO )

The final rule on financial conflicts of interest, effective August 24, 2012, requires research institutions that receive Public Health Service (PHS) funding from the NIH to:

    --  Evaluate the Significant Financial Interests of investigators and others
        to determine which might constitute Financial Conflicts of
        Interest(FCOI)
    --  Create management plans to mitigate financial conflicts of interest on
        the part of research investigators and other staff
    --  Respond to public requests for FCOI disclosures within five days and/or
        publish disclosure information on a publically available website
    --  Train all participants in funded research on institutional policies and
        their personal obligations regarding disclosure of FCOI prior to
        engaging in PHS funded research
COI-SMART is a scalable, fully integrated online system that provides comprehensive tools for tracking and managing COI disclosures.  COI-SMART provides for the development of multi-level branching questionnaires, automated assignment of reviewers, the development of COI management plans, and data mining tools for auditing, tracking and reporting on potential conflicts of interest.

The new Quick-Start Option provides organizations with the tools needed to quickly and effectively meet the deadline for the new NIH requirements.  The Quick-Start Option features:

    --  Pre-loaded Questionnaire
    --  Pre-loaded email announcements and reminders
    --  Pre-loaded review actions
    --  Quick text and management plan templates
    --  Dozens of standard reports
To assist organizations in complying with the training component of the NIH regulations, HCCS has two online training courses available. "Conflicts of Interest and Research Misconduct" provides training for staff involved in research while "Preventing Conflicts of Interest" provides broader training for all staff members.

"The new NIH requirements put facilities at risk for losing their PHS funding," says Ben Diamond, President of HCCS. "HCCS is providing the COI-SMART Quick-Start Option to enable organizations to quickly comply with the regulations and protect their funding. Organizations will still be able to customize COI-SMART and the pre-loaded options will expedite the process."

Information can be found at http://www.coismart.com.

About HCCS
Health Care Compliance Strategies, Inc. (HCCS) provides up-to-date compliance and competency training and tracking solutions to hospitals, health plans, teaching facilities, medical schools and other healthcare entities. HCCS programs are used at hundreds of healthcare facilities nationwide, with over 1.5 million registered learners.  HCCS provides a full library of online compliance and competency training courses. For more information about HCCS products, contact HCCS at (877) 933-4227, by email at info@hccs.com, or via the web at http://www.hccs.com.

SOURCE  Health Care Compliance Strategies, Inc.

Photo:http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20061010/NYTU194LOGO
http://photoarchive.ap.org/
Health Care Compliance Strategies, Inc.

CONTACT: David Rosenthal, VP, Health Care Compliance Strategies, Inc., +1-516-478-4100, dmr@hccs.com

Web Site: http://www.hccs.com