FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 20, 2004

MEDICAL BILLING SOFTWARE SHOWS STUDENTS WHAT IT’S REALLY LIKE TO
WORK IN A PHYSICIAN’S PRACTICE

Windsor, CT, February 20, 2004 – In the spring of 2003, Norwalk Community College in Norwalk, Connecticut replaced its outdated medical billing software program with the SSIMED Practice Manager Suite of software products. It was a concerted effort by Norwalk Community College to provide students in their Business Office Technology/Medical Certificate Program with real-world applicable training. SSIMED donated the software at the urging of several Norwalk-area clients who expressed concern in their search for qualified staff who possess experience with state of the art medical billing software.

Norwalk Community College’s Business Office Technology/Medical Certificate Program prepares its students to work in a private physician’s office, a multi-specialty clinic, or hospital setting. Skills learned include maintaining patients’ medical records, bookkeeping and appointment scheduling. The program also includes an introduction to the major medical insurance programs used in physicians’ offices, providing them with a basic knowledge of the national diagnostic and procedural coding systems and the process of filing health insurance forms.

In addition to people entering the field for the first time, the program also appeals to medical office physicians, managers and personnel who may be preparing to transition from older DOS software to more current state of the art practice management systems. By using SSIMED’s software suite of products, students learn both a realistic and practical approach in a “hands on” environment to better prepare them to work and excel in today’s modern medical practices.

“Most medical billing software companies create software that they don’t ever use,” said Ray Duda, SSIMED’s Vice President of Sales and Marketing. “If they don’t use it, how can they relate to what medical practices go through every day? SSIMED's own internal billing department uses our software on a daily basis. It needs to work and work well; otherwise our bottom line is directly affected.”

Ray went on to say he believes that Norwalk Community College’s decision to implement the SSIMED Suite was, “part of a determined effort to provide their students with exceptional training and real world applicable skills.”

Professor Maryann Schiff, Coordinator of Business/Office Technology at Norwalk Community College said that since implementing the SSIMED Suite, numerous students have praised the College for providing them with training and software that really prepares them for working in a medical practice. The program has been so successful that they have added additional sections of their Medical Billing Training course to meet increased student demand.

Based on the successful experience at Norwalk Community College, SSIMED has announced a new initiative to donate its Practice Management Suite to qualified non-profit schools. For more information, schools that may be interested in the program are asked to contact Doug Schumann, SSIMED’s Vice President of Support Services at (860) 925-6325.

Norwalk Community College is southwestern Fairfield County’s leader and partner in providing comprehensive, accessible, innovative and affordable learning opportunities to diverse populations.

SSIMED Corporation, located in Windsor, CT, provides state-of-the-art practice management software and medical billing services to private, group, and hospital-based physician practices. For more information on SSIMED’s product portfolio or for additional information on the company, log on to www.ssimed.com.