Alcoa Selects Medstat Information Tools to Manage Quality and Cost of Healthcare Benefits.

Business Editors/Health/Medical Writers

ANN ARBOR, Mich.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sept. 18, 2003

Medstat, a business of the Thomson Corporation (NYSE:TOC)(TSX:TOC) announced today that it has signed a multi-year agreement to deliver healthcare information services to Alcoa, the world's leading aluminum producer.

"When we evaluated our healthcare strategy at Alcoa, we found that Medstat delivered flexible, leading-edge decision support products, knowledgeable and proactive analysts, and thoughtful insights into the factors driving healthcare costs," said Mark Imhoff, manager of health and welfare benefits administration for Alcoa. "That's what we need to help our 300-plus business unit locations manage costs while providing high-quality employee benefit plans."

"Companies increasingly need healthcare information systems that are integrated with their existing business processes so they seamlessly support day-to-day decision making," said Jon Newpol, vice president and general manager of Medstat's employer division. "It's gratifying that Alcoa, after evaluating its options, determined Medstat was best equipped to make that happen."

Alcoa is the world's leading producer of primary aluminum, fabricated aluminum and alumina, and is active in all major aspects of the industry. Alcoa serves the aerospace, automotive, packaging, building and construction, commercial transportation and industrial markets, bringing design, engineering, production and other capabilities of Alcoa's businesses to customers. In addition to aluminum products and components, Alcoa also markets consumer brands including Reynolds Wrap(R) foils and plastic wraps, Alcoa(R) wheels, and Baco(R) household wraps. Among its other businesses are vinyl siding, closures, precision castings, and electrical distribution systems for cars and trucks. The company has 127,000 employees in 40 countries. More information can be found at www.alcoa.com.

Medstat is a healthcare information company that provides market intelligence and benchmark databases, decision support solutions, and research services for managing the cost and quality of healthcare. The company applies these capabilities to improve policy and management decision making for employers, government agencies, health plans, hospitals and provider networks, and pharmaceutical companies. Medstat is a business within the Thomson Corporation. The Thomson Corporation (www.thomson.com), with 2002 revenues of $7.8 billion, is a global leader in providing integrated information solutions to business and professional customers. Thomson provides value-added information, software applications and tools to more than 20 million users in the fields of law, tax, accounting, financial services, higher education, reference information, corporate training and assessment, scientific research and healthcare. The Corporation's common shares are listed on the New York and Toronto stock exchanges (TSX: TOC; NYSE: TOC).