PRESS ADVISORY

ATHENS PROJECT IS CITED FOR INNOVATION IN

HIGHER EDUCATION OF HEALTHCARE STUDENTS

OCT. 11, 2004 - FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CONTACT BOB ASHENMACHER (218) 723-6075

DULUTH, MN - The College of St. Scholastica demonstrated a pioneering initiative in educating health care workers of the future for David Brailer, MD, PhD, National Coordinator of Health Information Technology, at a press conference on Monday, Oct. 11, in Washington DC. The press conference was in conjunction with the American Health Information Management Association's (AHIMA) 76th national convention.

The ATHENS Project leads the nation in integrating computer-based information systems into academic programs for student health care professionals. The Project's unique cross-disciplinary approach is preparing students enrolled in The College of St. Scholastica's five health sciences professional programs for quality practice in the "consumer-centric and information-rich" environment envisioned for health care in Brailer's July 2004 report, "The Decade of Health Information Technology." ATHENS brings together students from Nursing, Physical Therapy, Occupational Therapy, Exercise Physiology and Health Informatics and Information Management, as well as those enrolled in Computer Information Systems.

"Educational programs such as these help inform and shape the uptake of information technology," Brailer said. "The ATHENS Project is making great strides to educate tomorrow's leaders in health information technology on the great need for technology solutions that are integrated and interoperable and that serve physicians and care givers."

Brailer was appointed National Coordinator of Health Information Technology earlier this year by President Bush. He is responsible for executing the actions ordered by the President, who recently called for widespread deployment of interoperable electronic health records for most Americans within 10 years.

Linda Kloss, CEO of AHIMA, will also be present.

The press conference included a brief demonstration by Shirley Eichenwald Maki, director of the ATHENS Project. Dr. Brailer, Linda Kloss (CEO of AHIMA), and representatives from Cerner Corporation were in attendance.

The ATHENS Project is a collaboration between The College of St. Scholastica in Duluth, MN, and Cerner Corp. of Kansas City, MO, and is funded by a $1.8 million Title III grant from the U.S. Department of Education. For more information visit The 20-minute press conference will include a brief demonstration by Shirley Eichenwald Maki, director of the ATHENS Project. Representatives of Cerner Corp. will also be present.

Linda Kloss of AHIMA has said of the ATHENS Project: "Achieving an interconnected health care system will require an educated workforce who can effectively integrate the use of I.T. into their jobs. Through its ATHENSproject, The College of St. Scholastica is breaking new ground in preparing tomorrow's healthcare and health information management professionals."

AHIMA is the national association of HIM professionals. AHIMA's 48,000 members are dedicated to the effective management of personal health information needed to deliver quality healthcare to the public. For information about the association, go to .

The College of St. Scholastica has been a national leader in this area for decades. The Health Information Management (HIM) profession was "born" at St. Scholastica in 1934 when the College established the first baccalaureate program in the nation in this discipline, then known as "Medical Record Science." In 1997 St. Scholastica began a graduate program in Health Information Management and it, too, became the first such program to be approved by the Council on Accreditation of the American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA). For decades this program has sustained a national reputation for leadership and innovation among the HIM education community. Its alumni have earned it a reputation among recruiters as "the Harvard" of Health Information Management.

Shirley Eichenwald Maki, MBA, RHIA, CPHIMS, FAHIMA is available at 218 723 6448. Click here for more information on ATHENS