WebMD, Inc. to Acquire Equity Interest In J&C Nationwide Physician Staffing Services.

ATLANTA--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Feb. 8, 1999--

Companies to Capitalize on Growing Medical Staffing Market;

Will Create Online Physicians Career and Placement

Center on a Leading Internet Healthcare Portal

WebMD to Receive Share of Proceeds from Placements

Generated from Site

WebMD, Inc., a leading Internet healthcare portal, today announced that it has acquired an equity interest in J&C Nationwide, the nation's second-largest staffing company for physicians and medical professionals, and to add J&C Nationwide's service to its comprehensive suite of Internet content and applications for physicians.

The agreement will position WebMD to tap into the growing physician staffing market and enable J&C Nationwide to enter the increasingly visible business of online placement.

Jeffrey Arnold, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of WebMD, commented, "Our acquisition of an interest in J&C Nationwide brings together leaders in two of today's most exciting trends in the healthcare industry: healthcare services on the Internet and physician placement.

"Unlike the past, when most physicians were self-employed in private practices, today more than 35% are in group practices or engaged in full-time and temporary employment with healthcare entities. J&C Nationwide's ability to fill permanent and temporary positions will be an important part of the package of Internet services we offer to current physician subscribers and strategic partners, including McKessonHBOC, Premier Healthcare, Tenet Healthcare Corp. and Trigon Blue Cross/Blue Shield of Virginia."

William Goldstein, President and Chief Executive Officer of J&C Nationwide, added, "The Internet will increasingly be the venue for a range of recruiting and placement activities, and it promises to help address the fragmentation and inefficiency that have plagued the physician staffing business. Our strategic relationship with WebMD will enable us to provide a better information flow between our clients and providers at lower costs. Adding J&C services to WebMD's comprehensive suite of Internet-based services for healthcare professionals should make WebMD even more attractive to large physician groups, PPM's and managed care organizations."

Under the agreement, WebMD obtained a 30% equity interest in National Medical Services, Inc., the parent company of J&C Nationwide and will work with the company to "web-enable" J&C Nationwide's placement businesses to create an interactive Physicians Placement and Career Center within the WebMD service.

The Center will inform physicians and other medical professionals of a range of temporary and permanent placement opportunities and link them to J&C Nationwide recruiting personnel. WebMD will receive a percentage of the proceeds of placements generated from the website.

J&C Nationwide was formed in November 1998 through the merger of Jackson & Coker, the pioneer of physician recruitment firms, and Nationwide Medical Services, Inc., the fastest growing firm in the medical staffing industry.

About WebMD, Inc.

Launched October 5, 1998, WebMD, Inc. (www.webmd.com) offers a comprehensive suite of Internet-based services for physicians and a trusted source of healthcare information for consumers.

WebMD's physician services include:

-- a premier medical information site;

-- a virtual office with real-time insurance verification, unified

messaging and telephone-based patient test results;

-- customized Web sites for physicians;

-- competitively priced supplies; and

-- numerous Continuing Medical Information courses.

Its separate consumer Website offers a broad range of premium branded content and services designed to allow Internet users to take charge of their health and access healthcare professionals and resources.

WebMD has more than 30 strategic alliances for content, services and distribution with leading healthcare partners such as McKessonHBOC (NYSE:MCK), ENVOY Corporation (NASDAQ:ENVY), MedQuist/Transcriptions, Ltd. (NASDAQ:MEDQ), DePuy Orthopaedics, Inc., a subsidiary of Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) and Thomson Healthcare Information Company, Inc.

WebMD physician subscriptions are available by calling (877) GO-WEBMD or by accessing the web site at http://www.webmd.com. Consumers have free access to WebMD's comprehensive healthcare information and services at the same address.

About J&C Nationwide

J&C Nationwide, the second largest physician and medical professional staffing firm in the U.S. market, provides both locum tenens and permanent placement recruitment and staffing services to healthcare clients throughout the United States. The combined entity has more than 120 associates throughout the nation in offices in Atlanta (Georgia), Durham (North Carolina), Norfolk (Virginia), Denver (Colorado), and Salt Lake City (Utah).