Mediconsult.com Corrects and Replaces Previous Release, BW1337, MEDICONSULT.COM.

BOSTON/TORONTO--(BW HealthWire)--Nov. 2, 1998--

OHA and Mediconsult.com Launch

YourHospitalAtHome.com

Internet Resource Enables Public to Access

Health Information from Trusted Source

The Ontario Hospital Association and Mediconsult.com (OTC:MCNS) have reached an agreement to launch YourHospitalAtHome.com, a project that offers hospitals the opportunity to work together to provide their communities valuable Internet based health information, without incurring the costs of developing a Web site from scratch.

The project will be launched at OHA's 1998 Convention and Exhibition today, held today in Toronto.

Many Ontario hospitals have been leaders in using the Internet to provide their communities with health-related information and information about local services. But high-quality, high-content Internet sites can be expensive to develop and maintain and are therefore out-of-reach for many hospitals.

For a nominal fee, participating hospitals are provided with a "base" Web site complete with the best in public-domain health information. The project also gives participating hospitals their own "front door" to this site so that consumers can access information through a provider they know and trust. The customized entry point also allows each hospital to enhance the base Web site with information about local services and supports, information that would be of interest to their respective communities. Hospitals that have their own sites may also subscribe to the "base" Web site.

The YourHospitalAtHome.com project will help consumers learn more about the prevention and management of illness and how they can access health resources in their own community. The "base" site will be hosted and maintained by Mediconsult.com in conjunction with the OHA. It will provide evidence-based abstracts and articles on a wide range of medical conditions (written in consumer-friendly text), as well as access to online support discussions. The site is free, and will be paid for by OHA member hospitals that choose to participate.

"OHA recognizes the important role technology will continue to play in shaping the future of health care," says OHA president David MacKinnon. "We see this project as one of many steps that can be taken to use technology to its fullest advantage - improving the health of individuals across the province. We are excited about what this could mean for patients and their families and believe it will provide a valuable adjunct to the existing patient/physician relationship."

"This is a tremendous opportunity for consumers in Ontario to have another gateway to the health care system and encourages further development of their relationship with their local hospital," says Ian Sutcliffe, president of Mediconsult.com. "OHA has been instrumental in identifying health care trends and how they coincide with consumers' need for more information," says Sutcliffe. "Increasingly, patients and their families are taking a more proactive role in managing their health care. YourHospitalAtHome is an additional tool to assist them in doing that."

So far, seven hospitals have signed on as participants in the YourHospitalAtHome.com project: Brockville General Hospital, Haldimand War Memorial, Hotel Dieu-St. Catherine's, Hotel Dieu- Windsor, Royal Victoria Hospital, Temiskaming Hospital and Welland County General. The OHA represents 200 hospitals, each of which is eligible to participate in the project.

YourHospitalAtHome.com is part of Hospital C.A.R.E., a series of strategic directions that the OHA and its members have embarked on it order to enhance Care, Accountability, Research and Education. The plan stresses partnerships and systems-thinking as key elements in building a more consumer-friendly and relevant health care system for the future.

Mediconsult.com (OTC:MCNS) is an Internet-based, consumer health marketing company focused on improving medical care for patients. The company is breaking ground with a consulting service that helps health care organizations implement effective Internet marketing and service strategies, and by educating consumers through its award-winning Web site, www.mediconsult.com. The site receives more than 1 million visits a month and contains current, reliable information in non-technical terms on more than 50 medical conditions. Moderated online support groups and an online store for medical supplies and books are also available on the site, as well as MediXperts, which gives consumers access to 30 world-class specialists for online consultations. The company also creates private-label sites for health care and pharmaceutical organizations from its Internet-ready content.