Kelly Nueske Joins Sinaiko Healthcare Consulting as Director of Risk Management Services

LOS ANGELES, CA--(Marketwire - October 12, 2009) - Sinaiko Healthcare Consulting, Inc., one of the nation's leading independent healthcare management consulting firms, today announced that Kelly Nueske has joined the firm as director of risk management services, a new practice area for the firm that complements its existing line of services.

At Sinaiko, Nueske will be responsible for developing, building, managing and delivering a new service line that integrates healthcare internal audit, risk assessment and the firm's existing compliance services. In addition, she will provide a value-added perspective across all of Sinaiko's consulting services.

Nueske is a Certified Internal Auditor, a Certified Management Account, a Certified Public Accountant and also a Registered Nurse, a unique background that stands out in the field. Prior to joining Sinaiko, she was manager of enterprise risk advisory services at LarsonAllen, an accounting and business consulting firm. She is currently on the board of directors and chair of the education committee for the Association of Healthcare Internal Auditors, and is a frequent speaker at other major industry association events, such as the Health Care Compliance Association, the American Bar Association and the American Health Lawyers Association.

"The integration of sophisticated internal audit and enterprise risk capabilities with other service areas -- such as compliance, revenue cycle and reimbursement -- has become a crucial need for healthcare organizations seeking to better manage risk across the enterprise," said Jeff Sinaiko, president of Los Angeles-based Sinaiko Healthcare Consulting. "Kelly's deep experience in these fields, combined with her proven ability to anticipate risk and regulatory challenges in an organization, will be a tremendous asset to our firm as we work with clients to implement successful mitigation strategies and identify new strategic opportunities."

According to Sinaiko, one such emerging opportunity that brings with it significant audit and compliance considerations is the expected dramatic increase in healthcare information technology system implementation. The Obama Administration's intentions to allocate $19 billion from the 2009 economic stimulus bill for health IT spending -- such as massive investments in electronic medical records -- creates both business opportunity and internal audit challenges for Sinaiko clients.

Nueske has more than 20 years of experience in various risk management, compliance and internal audit roles. In addition to her experience as a consultant, she was previously the director of risk and regulatory compliance for a large non-profit organization, where she was responsible for enterprise risk management activities related to a $300 million systems implementation. Nueske earned her bachelor of science degree in accounting from the University of Wisconsin at River Falls and her MBA in finance from the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, Minn.

Sinaiko Healthcare Consulting was founded in 1990 by Richard Sinaiko, whose vision was to bring together the best and brightest consulting talent in the industry to provide expert advice, solutions and service to the firm's clients. Sinaiko senior consultants are professionals with 10 to 30 years of experience in various facets of the industry, including hospitals, medical groups, managed care organizations and academic institutions. The firm's primary service areas are: Revenue Cycle; Compliance; Valuation and Transactions; Reimbursement Services; Strategic Analytics; and Litigation Support. For more information, please go to www.sinaiko.com.

Contact Information: Media Contact: Daryn Teague Teague Communications 661.297.5292