Brown2020

HEALTH HERO NETWORK SIGNS CONTRACT WITH VA HEALTHCARE NETWORK UPSTATE NEW YORK
Health Hero Network to Provide Technology Solutions for Health Monitoring to Three Tertiary Care Centers Across Upstate New York

Mountain View, Calif. – August 5, 2003 - Health Hero Network, Inc., reports that a contract has been signed with VA Healthcare Network Upstate New York, which is part of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Veterans Health Administration, to provide congestive heart failure and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease management. The programs will utilize patented Health Hero? technology to provide easy access to quality health care in order to achieve outstanding veteran satisfaction.

VA Healthcare Network Upstate New York has been selected, as part of a National Multi-Network Collaborative including Networks 1, 8, 11, 17 and 2, as a member of the first Advisory Council to the Office of Care Coordination located within VA Headquarters in Washington, DC. VA Healthcare Network Upstate New York plans to use the Health Hero technology platform to achieve its goal in providing easily accessible, high-quality health care to veterans, resulting in outstanding veteran satisfaction. Home-based primary care coordinators within VA Healthcare Network Upstate New York will use the Health Hero system to improve quality care and access to healthcare services for veterans at its three major tertiary care centers: Syracuse, Albany/Stratton, and the VA Western New York Healthcare System, serving Buffalo and Batavia, as well as two rural sites in New York’s southern tier, Bath and Canandaigua. Three Community Based Outpatient Clinics, in Rochester, Elmira and Rome will also participate in the initiative, providing an opportunity for improved patient access to health care services. VA Healthcare Network Upstate New York care coordinators will focus on assuring continuity of care and maintenance of health for their veteran population.

The Health Hero technology platform offers Internet-enabled care management tools, multiple patient interfaces, and a secure environment for data communications. The Company’s products include the Health Buddy® appliance, featuring Buddylink™ device connectivity, Health Buddy® Web, and iCare Desktop™, an Internet-based care management and research tool for health care professionals. Using a Health Buddy appliance, veterans will respond daily to questions customized for their health conditions.

“We hope to keep the veterans of Upstate New York healthy and satisfied by providing the right care at the right time in the right place with the use of the Health Buddy,” said Sara Beckley, MS Health Systems Specialist with VA Healthcare Network Upstate New York. “Our goal is to identify and enroll several hundred veterans over the next several months to bring the benefits of daily education and structured communication to our patients.”

“Health Hero is pleased to welcome VA Healthcare Network Upstate New York into our outstanding group of VA clients,” said Geoffrey Clapp, Health Hero CTO/COO. “We look forward to working with VA Healthcare Network Upstate New York to demonstrate how our technology platform and their telehomecare initiative will improve self-care and quality of life for veterans in the delivery of primary and long-term care for the future.”

VA Healthcare Network Upstate New York is deploying telehomecare because it assists patients who have difficulty traveling to VA facilities for care and allows them to communicate more frequently with their providers, saving time and health care resources. Telehomecare technology enables veterans to communicate with and transmit information to their VA providers via equipment in their own homes. Telehomecare projects within the VA have resulted in a high degree of satisfaction, and providers agree the technology has improved the quality of the patients’ care.

About Health Hero Network
Health Hero Network, Inc., founded in 1988, develops and licenses technology solutions for health monitoring and management. The Health Hero technology platform offers Internet-enabled care management tools, multiple patient interfaces, and a secure environment for data communications. The Company’s products include the Health Buddy® appliance, featuring Buddylink™ device connectivity, Health Buddy® Web, other licensee devices for data collection and communications with patients, and iCare Desktop™, an Internet-based care management and research tool for health care professionals. Health Hero offers over a dozen standard health management programs delivering daily monitoring & education, and promoting positive behavioral change for better chronic care with lower costs to the health care system. Buddylink allows patients to upload device-reported data from a variety of peripheral devices. Health Hero Network technology is protected by over 50 issued U.S. patents. Company headquarters are in Mountain View, California. On the Net: http://www.healthhero.com.