Baltimore Therapeutic Equipment Company and Hanoun Medical, Inc. Complete Merger; New Company Named BTE Technologies, Inc.

Business Editors/Health/Medical Writers

HANOVER, Md. & GREENWOOD VILLAGE, Colo. & TORONTO, Ontario--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jan. 8, 2004--

New Company Expected to Emerge as Leader in the Provision of

Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation Technologies

and Solutions for the Workers Compensation Arena

Hanoun Medical, Inc., a developer and manufacturer of physical evaluation software, equipment and services, and Baltimore Therapeutic Equipment Company (BTE), a provider of technology solutions to the physical rehabilitation and therapy market, announced today the completion of a merger between the two companies.

The new, combined company becomes BTE Technologies, Inc., effective immediately.

BTE Technologies will become the leading provider of software, equipment and services to physical therapists, occupational therapists, rehabilitation professionals, hospitals, healthcare providers and other medical experts. Additionally, BTE Technologies' solutions cater to the worker compensation arena with its range of employer service programs. These include, among others, post-offer employment testing, which evaluate an employee's physical capabilities; programs that assess an employee's readiness to return to work after being injured on the job; protocols for safely matching employees to jobs; and comprehensive functional evaluations and rehabilitation. Together, these products and services greatly improve rehabilitation outcomes and are also helping to set performance standards within the workers compensation arena.

The new company incorporates management expertise from both organizations. B. Charles Ames was named non-executive chairman of the board. Ames is a private investor who holds directorship positions at Progressive Insurance and Lexmark International.

Other senior management appointments at the new company include: Thomas P. Rogan -- chief executive officer; Charles T. Wetherington -- president - products groups; John T. Shano -- chief operating officer; and John K. Gillberry -- president - employer payer services group.

Rogan commented on the forging of the new company: "The joining of these two leading organizations represents a new force in both the healthcare and workers compensation industries. Both companies previously supplied a range of highly advanced technology-based solutions. Together, we are going to expand our offering and bring physicians, physical therapists, occupational therapists and rehabilitation professionals significantly enhanced opportunities for data, treatment and outcomes. In addition, employers and payers will look to us for ways in which they can prevent on-the-job injuries and reduce workers compensation claims. We look forward to presenting myriad new opportunities across the markets we serve."

Wetherington discussed the pioneering products the company continues to present to the marketplace: "The industry is ripe for the type of innovative services we are bringing to our customers. BTE Technologies' new products group remains dedicated to offering superior technological advancements in physical and occupational therapy and rehabilitation equipment. The new BTE Technologies, Inc. will fast become the leading provider of technology-based solutions to healthcare providers and among both employers and payers."

BTE Technologies, Inc. will operate from offices in Hanover, Md., a Baltimore suburb; Greenwood Village, Colo., just outside Denver; and from an international office in Toronto.

Prior to the merger, Hanoun Medical, founded in 1987 with offices in Toronto and the metro Denver area, was an international medical technology and employer services company specializing in the evaluation and assessment of human physical performance. The company worked with employers to reduce costs associated with workplace injuries by providing integrated web-enabled software applications and patented digital medical technologies that enhanced the delivery of healthcare services.

During its 24 years in business, BTE became a leading provider of technology solutions to the physical rehabilitation and therapy market. The company's products have helped set industry standards in functional work simulation and physical rehabilitation equipment and software for markets ranging from industry to sports medicine to geriatrics.

BTE Technologies, Inc. offers technology-based physical and occupational therapy and rehabilitation solutions for the healthcare industry through its products group. The company's employer payer services group focuses on the provision of employer services and solutions for the workers compensation industry.