CIS Addresses Key Sunshine Act Considerations and Operational Challenges at Upcoming Webinars and Conferences

Online, May 20, 2013 (Newswire.com) - Compliance Implementation Services (CIS), a leading life sciences consulting firm, will provide thought leadership at several industry-leading conferences and host four webinars to advance techniques that ensure "sunshine readiness" and identify potential operational challenges in preparation for CMS' federal transparency and disclosure collection that begins on August 1, 2013.

On May 21, CIS will host a complimentary webinar entitled, "Sunshine Readiness Assessments: Assessing Beyond the Basics," that will provide a step-by-step readiness assessment plan to help identify gaps and remediate concerns in preparation for federal transparency and disclosure reporting. Attendees will learn the importance of ensuring that a Sunshine Act implementation plan is aligned with a company's interpretations of the regulations, impacted business activities, data being collected and any systems used for data capture.

CIS will also host a complimentary webinar series entitled, "CMS' OPEN PAYMENTS Reporting Templates," held June 4-6 that will review each of the three CMS reporting templates (Non-Research Payment, Research Payment and Physician Ownership) and provide insight into operational considerations, assumptions and the rationale behind those assumptions for ensuring the processes for capturing data align with the way it will be reported. The discussion will provide insight into some of the solutions for addressing challenges and even inconsistencies in the current templates while ensuring current initiatives address any other potential changes made by CMS.

CIS has been invited to join the faculty of several Sunshine Act conferences this summer to discuss a variety issues surrounding the finalized regulations:

•On June 11-12, Judy Fox will discuss "Ensure State Law Compliance" at ExL's Aggregate Spend and Sunshine Conference.

•On June 19, Adam Toronto will present on the panel, "Sunshine Law and Physician Payments" at law firm Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati's annual Medical Device Conference.

•On June 27, CIS will host a breakfast program with PABio, "Preparing for the Sunshine Act - How to Weather the Storm of Federal and State Regulations."

•On August 19-21, Judy Fox will explain the intricacies of mapping spend data at CBI's Annual Forum on Sunshine and Aggregate Spend.

"We're pleased to have these opportunities to share our experience and guidance with life sciences manufacturers who are preparing for Sunshine Act implementation. There can be gaps in manufacturers' processes so it is helpful to have additional insight to identify and remediate concerns in preparation for federal transparency and disclosure reporting while remaining compliant with state regulations. CIS has provided compliance and transparency reporting services to over 30 clients within the past five years, so we understand what the industry is going through. We are working hand-in-hand with companies to implement successful strategies for accurate and compliant data collection and reporting while also addressing the operational challenges inherent in our highly-regulated industry," said Judy Fox, Director, Transparency Compliance at CIS.

About Compliance Implementation Services (CIS)
Compliance Implementation Services (CIS) is a consulting firm focused on helping life sciences clients proactively manage complex compliance requirements. We offer a broad portfolio of services and solutions that expand deep into the clinical, manufacturing and commercial disciplines and that align with our clients' strategic priorities and business operations. CIS continually provides leadership, global regulatory knowledge, industry experience and a problem-solving culture that responds to today's compliance and commercial challenges. For more information, visit www.cis-partners.com.