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Kraig Smith
PReturn Inc.
312.432.9405
ksmith@preturn.com

Care Communications and the American Health Information Management Association Announce the 300th Graduate of their Collaborative Leadership Training Programs

Chicago, October 2, 2006 – Care Communications, Inc., a nationally recognized leader in healthcare information management, and the American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA), the premier association of health information management professionals, today announced the 300th graduate of their collaborative Systems-based Leadership and Change ManagementTM training programs for healthcare professionals.

“We’re proud to have helped more than 300 healthcare professionals more effectively lead their organizations through transformational change,” said Patricia Thierry Sheridan, MBA, RHIA and president of Care Communications. “Our Systems-based Leadership and Change Management framework has provided an effective structure for change management for more than 100 U.S. healthcare organizations large and small and is helping to strengthen the nationwide movement from paper to electronic health records.”

Care Communications is the provider of systems-based leadership training for the AHIMA. The curriculum, based on a proven approach to HIM consulting, addresses each critical behavioral aspect of change, including physical, emotional, environmental, technical and tactical. Four fundamental principles makeup the approach: Bowen’s Systems-based Leadership theory, Kotter’s Change Principles, Bridge’s Transitions Theory and a sound project management plan. Independently, these components provide value to organizations, but when woven together, they provide a lens that brings successful transformational change into focus while propelling important initiatives forward.

To date, AHIMA membership has embraced the training programs. In 2006, AHIMA offered seven training seminars and customized the curriculum into three different formats that address different topics and offer different options for members interested in taking the training but limited by demanding work schedules. More than 200 AHIMA members have completed the full eight-week course, which consists of a two-day seminar and three follow-up coaching sessions. Nearly 100 AHIMA members have gone through the abbreviated one-day training sessions, which cover the same core curriculum in an executive education format.

More information on Systems-based Leadership and Change Management™ can be found at www.carecommunications.com. For more information on the courses offered by the AHIMA, visit www.ahima.org. Registration is open for the remaining 2006 programs, scheduled to begin October 7 and November 6; these sessions have already started to fill up.

About AHIMA
AHIMA is the premier association of health information management (HIM) professionals. AHIMA’s 50,000 members are dedicated to the effective management of personal health information needed to deliver quality health care to the public. Founded in 1928 to improve the quality of medical records, AHIMA is committed to advancing the HIM profession in an increasingly electronic and global environment through leadership in advocacy, education, certification, and lifelong learning.

About Care Communications, Inc.
Care Communications is a nationally recognized leader in Health Information Management (HIM) and has served the needs of leading healthcare organizations since 1976. Care Communications’ Systems-based Leadership and Change ManagementTM approach offers healthcare organizations the industry’s most focused, effective and comprehensive suite of HIM services. From consulting and change leadership to outsourced coding and staffing, the nation’s most successful hospitals turn to Care Communications for help with their most challenging HIM issues.

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