(Wednesday, October 11, 2006) -

AHA-endorsed Products to Help HR Attract, Manage & Retain a Qualified Health Care Workforce

AHA Solutions, a subsidiary of the American Hospital Association (AHA), announced today that it is developing a platform of AHA-endorsed products and services for Human Resources (HR) departments within hospitals. The goal is to identify a set of high quality tools that help optimize the efficiency and effectiveness of HR’s ability to attract, manage and retain a qualified workforce. The first phase of the offering will be unveiled at the October 2006 conference of the American Society of Healthcare Human Resources Administration (ASHHRA) in Nashville with the announcement of the first four AHA-endorsed products.

AHA Solutions has functioned as a resource to hospitals for more than 25 years in the areas of Employee Benefits, Risk Management, Finance/Revenue Cycle Management and Technology. “We’ve now expanded our portfolio to include the broader HR role because we understand that the HR function is a key to creating the fully staffed, skilled and motivated workforce necessary to deliver 24/7 access to health care for our communities,” states Anthony J. Burke, president and CEO of AHA Solutions. “Hospitals today recognize that they must become more attractive employers, but to do so requires the full attention of what are often understaffed HR departments, already overburdened with administrative work. It’s critical that HR leaders utilize staff resources efficiently. Our new HR Platform will provide the tools to help manage resources wisely, resulting in greater organizational success.”  

The endorsed products and services within the HR offering will cover these areas: recruiting, compensation, HR information systems, employee health, organizational development, employee relations, benefits, labor relations, leadership development and compliance. Upon completion, slated for 2007, the AHA HR Platform will contain more than two-dozen product solutions.

The first components of AHA Solutions’s HR Platform and their respective companies are: Applicant Screening & Drug Testing Services, provided by Certiphi Screening; Applicant Tracking through OnBase^{®  ;} Enterprise Document Management Software, provided by Hyland Software; and Performance Appraisal Systems (Halogen eAppraisal Healthcare™), provided by Halogen Software.

“We couldn’t be more pleased to have our applicant screening products recognized by the AHA as superior to the competition,” reports Anthony D’Orazio, CEO of Certiphi Screening. “It was a long, arduous process but in the end I believe it was our focus exclusively on health care organizations, our internal quality assurance processes, and our knowledgeable staff that set us apart.” D’Orazio and his counterparts at Hyland Software and Halogen Software concur that though the AHA’s due diligence process can be challenging from the vendor’s perspective, it results in a higher level of integrity and distinction for the AHA endorsement. “We feel fortunate to be the first products selected for this timely HR Platform, and look forward to meeting the needs of hospitals.”

AHA Solutions looked to many resources to guide the development of its HR Platform, including assistance from its sister organization, the American Society for Healthcare Human Resources Administration (ASHHRA); several hundred annual face-to-face visits with hospitals, and industry experts from the AHA and beyond.

“Our goal is to be a resource for hospitals with HR-related issues, whether it’s a need to increase productivity, standardize or automate processes, manage staff development or reduce administrative costs,” states Burke. “Who better as a trusted resource than the American Hospital Association?” AHA Solutions invites hospitals and health care organizations to provide feedback on the offering. For more information, contact Amy Goble, vice president of AHA Solutions, at (312) 895-2532 or agoble@aha.org, or visit www.aha-solutions.org.

About AHA

The American Hospital Association (AHA) is a not-for-profit association of health care provider organizations and individuals that are committed to the health improvement of their communities. The

AHA is the national advocate for its members, which includes more than 4,800 hospitals, health care systems, networks, and other providers of care, and 37,000 individuals. Founded in 1898, the AHA provides education for health care leaders and is a source of information on health care issues and trends. For more information, visit the AHA Web site at www.aha.org.

About AHA Solutions

AHA Solutions, Inc. is a subsidiary of the American Hospital Association (AHA) whose purpose is to identify and/or develop products and services that help hospitals and health care organizations operate more effectively and efficiently. As the only area of the AHA with rights to award the AHA Endorsement, the company relies on its disciplined due diligence and healthcare industry knowledge to remain an objective resource to health care leaders in the areas of Employee Benefits, Risk Management, Finance/Revenue Cycle Management and Technology. For more information, contact AHA Solutions at (800) 242-4677 or visit www.aha-solutions.org.

About AHA-Endorsed HR Platform Products To-Date

• Certiphi Screening, Inc., offers customized applicant screening solutions, including background checks, drug testing, occupational health screening, DOT compliance and fingerprint collection services, to help the healthcare employer make safer, smarter hiring decisions. Learn more at www.Certiphi.com.
• OnBase^®, Hyland Software’s enterprise document management software helps hospitals become more efficient at managing their human resource functions. OnBase’s ability to capture and store employee records, as well as documents associated with credentialing, recruitment, testing, continuing education, benefits administration and compliance can streamline workflow processes, increase productivity, reduce paper and create and electronic audit trail for a variety of human resource related activities. Learn more at www.HylandSoftware.com.
• Halogen eAppraisal Healthcare™ is the employee performance management solution that makes it easy to deliver professional employee appraisals, assessments and compensation adjustments that align with your organization's goals. Learn more at www.HalogenSoftware.com.