Huron Consulting Group’s Click™ Portal Software to Expedite Financial Disclosures for Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center

Leading Research Institution Chooses Automation Solution to Meet New HHS Rules

CHICAGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jan. 18, 2012-- Huron Consulting Group (NASDAQ: HURN), a leading provider of business consulting services, today announced that Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center (CCHMC) has selected its Click™ Portal software to automate financial disclosures required for all research within the institution. The software will be implemented before the new U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) rules on conflict of interest (COI) go into effect in August 2012, and will also be fully integrated with CCHMC's existing Click-based grants management and Institutional Review Board (IRB) systems.

The new HHS rules cover areas ranging from reporting thresholds to public disclosures to creating and tracking COI management plans. An automated system greatly simplifies meeting the new compliance requirements by eliminating most of the repetitive tasks associated with paper-based systems. CCHMC is currently using the Click Portal software for grant proposal submissions, award management, and IRB collaboration and review. The COI system will be able to pull needed data from these other applications, thereby making it easier to complete disclosures and ensure compliance.

CCHMC has a tradition of leadership in research dating to its founding in 1931, which includes the Sabin oral polio vaccine and the first practical heart-lung machine. Today the institution looks to genomics, molecular medicine, and pharmaceutical therapies to treat a wide range of pediatric afflictions. This research effort involves nearly 5,000 researchers, staff members, relevant collaborators, and consultants.

"Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center is working to ensure transparency and accountability while also managing the complex new requirements placed on researchers," said Nick Stier, managing director, Huron Education. "Deploying the Click Portal to improve the mechanics of COI disclosure will help lessen the burden on researchers and make meeting the new HHS regulations easier for everyone involved in research."

Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center and many other leading research institutions use Huron's Click Portal platform to automate a wide range of administrative and compliance processes, including those associated with IRB, Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC), Institutional Biosafety Committee (IBC), COI, Grants, and Clinical Trials.

About Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center

Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center ranks third in the nation among all Honor Roll hospitals in U.S. News and World Report's 2011 Best Children's Hospitals ranking. It is ranked #1 for gastroenterology and in the top 10 for all pediatric specialties - a distinction shared by only two other pediatric hospitals in the United States. Cincinnati Children's is one of the top two recipients of pediatric research grants from the National Institutes of Health. It is internationally recognized for improving child health and transforming delivery of care through fully integrated, globally recognized research, education and innovation. Additional information can be found at www.cincinnatichildrens.org.

About Click, a Huron Solution

Huron's Click™ Portal software has been developed to meet the needs of leading academic medical centers and research institutions throughout North America. Click solutions are deployed by consulting experts from Huron Education working in conjunction with local client teams. Configurable applications for grants administration, research compliance, and clinical trials efficiently manage the business of research by combining information technology with industry best practices. Huron Education's professionals have worked with more than 90 of the top 100 research universities in the U.S. More information can be found at www.clickcommerce.com or follow us on Twitter: @Huron

About Huron Consulting Group

Huron Consulting Group helps clients in diverse industries improve performance, comply with complex regulations, reduce costs, recover from distress, leverage technology and stimulate growth. The Company teams with its clients to deliver sustainable and measurable results. Huron provides services to a wide variety of both financially sound and distressed organizations, including healthcare organizations, Fortune 500 companies, leading academic institutions, medium-sized businesses and the law firms that represent these various organizations. Learn more at www.huronconsultinggroup.com.

Source: Huron Consulting Group

Huron Consulting Group
Jennifer Frost Hennagir
312-880-3260
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