BCE Emergis and Kroll Computer Systems Sign Partnership Agreement.

Business Editors & High Tech Writers

TORONTO & MONTREAL--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Oct. 3, 2002

BCE Emergis extends reach in Canada's health care market; Kroll to

offer transaction services, in real time, over secure IP network

In a partnership agreement announced today, BCE Emergis (TSX:IFM) and Kroll Computer Systems will provide Kroll's customers with a secure IP network connection for the transport of insurance claims to various insurance adjudicators. The BCE Emergis solution-a robust and secure network-will improve efficiencies at both the transactional and management levels for pharmacists. This agreement could result in some 32 million electronic switching transactions a year for Kroll and a 25 percent increase in the overall number of transactions that BCE Emergis handles for Kroll.

"We are delighted to partner with BCE Emergis," states Jay Sonshine, president of Kroll Computer Systems. "We anticipate that the majority of our pharmacies will migrate towards the BCE Emergis solution. The IP network will greatly accelerate -up to five-fold on average-the real-time processing of pharmacy transactions," adds Sonshine, "an important benefit given the lack of time and resources most pharmacists face."

BCE Emergis services are fast becoming the solution of choice for health care providers seeking guaranteed performance and security for the transmission of confidential and sensitive information. "We're very pleased to have the opportunity to be able to work in partnership with Kroll," states Francois Cote, executive vice president of eHealth Canada at BCE Emergis. "This agreement fits very well with our desire and ability to both add value to our clients' offerings and to extend our reach to health care professionals and insurers."

BCE Emergis brings to the health care community advanced claims switching technologies that allow the seamless routing of pharmacy transactions to insurance carriers. BCE Emergis networks and claims switching services reach more than seven thousand pharmacies throughout Canada and last year, the company processed over one hundred million drug transactions.

Concludes Cote, "This partnership agreement broadens our reach and is very much in line with our strategy: to provide all health care professionals with a universal exchange service that facilitates the electronic validation, authorization and payment of insurance claims."

Kroll Computer Systems Inc. is a national sales and support company solely dedicated to providing end-to-end solutions for the pharmacy software and hardware marketplace. For more than 17 years Kroll has served the needs of pharmacy from its offices in Edmonton, Toronto, Halifax and Montreal. Kroll currently services over 1,500 diverse pharmacy customers throughout Canada.

BCE Emergis provides eCommerce services that accelerate the revenue and payment cycles of its customers. With a focus on transaction-intensive health and financial services, Emergis executes over one billion billing, claims processing, payment, and related document exchange transactions annually. The company offers network-centric Internet solutions that integrate and streamline processes between business partners and their banks as they drive toward financial settlement of their business activities, improving both their cash flow and operating costs. BCE Emergis customers include 15 leading North American health insurers, three of the top five U.S. banks, five of the top six Canadian banks, and a number of North America's largest enterprises. The Company's shares (TSX:IFM) are included in the S&P/TSX Composite Index.

Please visit BCE Emergis at www.emergis.com for more information on the Company.

This news release contains forward-looking statements, which are subject to a number of risks, uncertainties and assumptions. Actual results and events may vary significantly. Factors which could cause actual results or events to differ materially from current expectations include, among other things: uncertainty as to whether BCE Emergis' strategies will yield the expected benefits and growth prospects, the current uncertainly in North American economic conditions, competitive conditions, the fluctuation in the currency exchange rates between the Canadian and U.S. dollar, BCE Emergis' ability to drive recurring revenue and expand its operations in the United States particularly in the ehealth and financial sectors, the extent of eCommerce adoption as well as the adoption rate by its customers of its services and the ability to integrate efficiently new acquisitions. For additional information with respect to certain of these and other factors, see the Annual Information Form and Annual Report (Management Discussion and Analysis) of the Company filed with Canadian securities commissions. THE FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS CONTAINED IN THIS PRESS RELEASE REPRESENT BCE EMERGIS EXPECTATIONS AS AT OCTOBER 3, 2002 AND, ACCORDINGLY, ARE SUBJECT TO CHANGE AFTER SUCH DATE. HOWEVER BCE EMERGIS DISCLAIMS ANY INTENTION OR OBLIGATION TO UPDATE OR REVISE ANY FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS, WHETHER AS A RESULT OF NEW INFORMATION, FUTURE EVENTS OR OTHERWISE.