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HEALTH HERO NETWORK TO PROVIDE TECHNOLOGY SOLUTIONS TO VETERANS INTEGRATED SERVICE NETWORK 8 FOR ADDITIONAL THREE YEARS
VISN 8 Wins Successive e-Health Leadership Award

Mountain View, Calif. – Dec. 03, 2002 – Health Hero Network, Inc. today reported that a three-year contract extension with Veterans Integrated Services Network (VISN) 8 has been signed. The VISN 8 Community Care Coordination Service (CCCS) programs succeeded in reducing hospital admissions, surgeries, and prescriptions by over 60% during a two-year demonstration project incorporating Health Hero technology. Due to the success of its programs, the Community Care Coordination Service was selected at the Fourth Annual Disease Management Association of America (DMAA) Leadership Forum as a consecutive award winner.

For the second year, VISN 8 received the Pfizer e-Health Leadership Award at the DMAA conference. The award recognizes the CCCS’s commitment to using interactive technology in its programs to coordinate healthcare needs while maintaining the patient in the home environment.

The CCCS was created by the VISN 8 Network to meet the challenges of providing services to chronically ill Veterans in Southern Georgia, Florida and Puerto Rico in their place of residence. The programs supported by the CCCS serve over 1,000 patients with mental illness or chronic diseases who are at risk for recurring hospital admissions.

The contract extension was prompted by the program’s success in reducing costs while maintaining high standards of care and increasing patient satisfaction. Participants have shown a reduction in usage of services, as well as self-reported improvements in quality of life while using the Health Buddy®. According to Marlis Meyer, MA, Network Program Director for the VISN 8 Community Care Coordination Service, reasons for the contract extension include findings that over 90% of Veterans using the Health Buddy feel more educated and knowledgeable about their disease states than they did prior to the use of the care coordination and technology approach.
“The e-Health Leadership Award is a significant honor because it recognizes our achievement as a national telehealth leader. Using Health Hero’s technology, our program has demonstrated a reduction in usage of services, as well as self-reported improvements in quality of life. Our success with the CCCS programs resulted in the expansion of our relationship with Health Hero Network,” said Rita Kobb, ARNP, care coordinator of the Tech Care Coordination Program (formerly the Rural Home Care Project) at Lake City VAMC.

“VISN 8’s outstanding Community Care Coordination Service programs again show that Health Hero’s technology enables healthcare professionals to provide efficient and effective care for chronically ill patients. We are excited to expand and enhance our success with VISN 8 CCCS, a nationally recognized telehealth provider,” said Julie Cheitlin Cherry, Health Hero Network Medical Director.

Through the Community Care Coordination Service, Veterans receive a Health Buddy appliance that connects to their phone line and monitors their symptoms, behaviors and health status. The Health Buddy appliance delivers daily reminders about important healthy lifestyle guidelines such as diet, exercise, and medication compliance to each Veteran. Care coordinators receive and review patient responses on Health Hero’s web-based iCare Desktop™ which automatically flags patients as low, medium, or high risk, providing the opportunity for care coordinator and physician intervention before a patient’s condition becomes acute.

About Health Hero Network
Health Hero Network, Inc., founded in 1988 and headquartered in Mountain View, California, develops and licenses industry-leading 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 product line includes Health Buddy®, Health Buddy® Web and other licensee devices for data collection and communications with patients, and iCare Desktop™, an Internet-based care management and research solution for healthcare 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 healthcare system. Health Hero Network technology is protected by over 50 issued U.S. patents. For more information about Health Hero Network, visit http://www.healthhero.com.