Louisville, KY (June 21, 2005) - SHPS, an Integrated Health Management (IHM) provider based in Louisville, Ky., is pleased to announce another achievement in technological innovation through the recent certification of its Carrier Exchange product by the HR-XML Consortium. The consortium is an independent, non-profit peer group that develops industry standards for exchanging human resource data online; their “HRcertify” award is bestowed on companies whose products meet the uniform HR-XML language criteria for benefits enrollment.

SHPS’ Carrier Exchange, a unique, proprietary software solution, manages the transfer of information between employers, insurance carriers and third-party administrators faster and more accurately than comparable solutions in the industry. The SHPS HR-XML certification will allow its Carrier Exchange customers to exchange data effortlessly with other HR-XML- certified organizations. By standardizing a traditionally complex process, SHPS ensures more timely and affordable interactions between the company, its clients and business partners.

An increasing number of firms are rapidly embracing online HR services and software. Therefore, HR-XML certification is key to information technology managers when considering vendors because any open exchange of human resource data requires discussions between companies on the transaction process. By having a common language for data feeds, companies eliminate the need for creating custom interfaces and software to share data between computer systems – ultimately simplifying the processes and saving money.

“HR-XML certification continues SHPS' long-standing technological leadership in its human resources products and services, including Carrier Exchange,” said Jeffery Lanzet, SHPS’ senior vice president, BPA operations and HRS product management. “When doing business with SHPS, our Carrier Exchange customers can be confident of the quality of the exchange of enrollment information between employers, SHPS and carriers.”

The HR-XML interface has distinct advantages over other standards-based interfaces, including support for transactional data exchanges (rather than full-file), the use of XML to allow automated system-to-system translation of data, and support for near-real-time data exchange in environments that support this protocol. SHPS earned HR-XML certification after sending a series of test files that accurately and consistently produced the required results in compliance with the consortium’s specifications.

As a charter member of the HR-XML Consortium, SHPS is a proven solution technology leader in its early adoption of HR-XML standards. SHPS has long dominated the carrier exchange field and today provides more than 1,700 customized data feeds to carriers who cover more than 92 percent of the nation’s insured population.

About the HR-XML Consortium
HR-XML is an independent, non-profit consortium dedicated to enabling e-commerce and inter-company exchange of human resources data worldwide. The work of the consortium centers around the development and promotion of standardized XML vocabularies for HR. HR-XML's current efforts are focused on standards for assessments, staffing and recruiting, metrics, compensation and benefits, training and work force management. HR-XML is represented by its membership in 22 countries, and in Europe through its affiliate organization, HR-XML Consortium Europe, and in Japan by HR-XML Consortium Japan. For information, visit www.hr-xml.org.

About SHPS
SHPS provides a broad range of innovative health management tools, resources and services that empower consumers to make wise healthcare decisions. With comprehensive services that transform consumer health behaviors, SHPS’ integrated delivery system maximizes the value of consumers’ and employers’ healthcare dollars. Among its many clients, SHPS serves large and mid-sized employers, health insurance carriers, third party administrators, Medicare Part D providers and government agencies. The company employs registered nurses and health professionals, employee benefit specialists and IT experts in facilities across the United States. Visit www.shps.com.

For More Information
Sarah Bovine
Director, Corporate Communications
sarah.bovine@shps.com

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