August 5, 2005

MEDIA CONTACT:
Matt Nehmer: (202) 994-6467; nehmer@gwu.edu

GW ANNOUNCES NEW GRADUATE CERTIFICATE IN
HEALTH CARE CORPORATE COMPLIANCE

Program is a Venture Between University's College of Professional Studies, School of Public Health and Health Services, and the Law Firm of Feldesman Tucker Leifer Fidell LLP

WASHINGTON - The George Washington University is launching a new graduate certificate in Health Care Corporate Compliance.  The 12-credit program, designed for working professionals, will provide students with a comprehensive view of health care and the regulatory landscape to enhance compliance.

The program is the result of a partnership between GW's College of Professional Studies (CPS), School of Public Health and Health Services (SPHHS), and the Washington, D.C., law firm of Feldesman Tucker Leifer Fidell LLP. Also collaborating in the program's development is McDermott Will & Emery LLP and Sonnenschein Nath & Rosenthal LLP, two firms that specialize in health care law. 

"Given the dramatic changes in health care law and regulation over the past decade, it is difficult to overstate the importance of corporate compliance officers in virtually all health care settings," said Ruth J. Katz, SPHHS dean. "This program provides an accessible, interactive, and comprehensive corporate compliance program, taught by leading experts from the faculty of GW's Department of Health Policy, led by Chair Sara Rosenbaum, and from the legal and compliance community."

The program's instruction team will consist of GW faculty members and practitioners in the field, including senior government regulators and litigators, legal experts, patient advocates, current health care executives, and compliance officers.

"Legislation such as the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) and the Anti-Kickback and Stark laws has created the need for university-based certification for this increasingly specialized-and increasingly complicated-field," said Jacqueline Leifer, senior partner, Feldesman Tucker. "As the center of federal health care policy and enforcement, Washington provides the ideal backdrop for this program.  No other course or program can offer this level of expertise."

The program will use a blended learning format with five days of classroom sessions September 26-30, followed by a distance learning course, and concluding with three days of classes, April 3-5, 2006. Credits earned may be applied toward a GW Master of Public Health degree.
 
"GW created the College of Professional Studies to work at the forefront of curricular innovation to respond to specialized education needs of professional communities today," said CPS Dean Roger Whitaker. "The College of Professional Studies is delighted to partner with the School of Public Health and Health Services and together with these three distinguished law firms offer health care professionals an opportunity to benefit from this unique collaboration."

GW's Department of Health Policy is the home for health policy studies and research at The George Washington University and SPHHS. Through its joint degree program with the University's Law School, the department provides sound grounding for students in both health policy and the legal framework in which policy is developed and operates.
 
Working with SPHHS faculty, Feldesman Tucker Leifer Fidell LLP has shared the lead in developing the curriculum for the new program.  Founded in 1970, Feldesman Tucker's Health Law Group provides a full range of legal services to health care providers. 

 For more information about the program, visit www.cps.gwu.edu or call
(202) 973-1130.
 For more news about GW, visit the GW News Center at www.gwnewscenter.org.

- GW -