Your EKG and other vital medical records are online and ready for the ER doctor to view before you arrive at the hospital.

PLEASANTON, Calif. - The face of emergency medicine is changing thanks to the efforts of PersonalMD.com, the only Internet site to offer consumers a way to manage all of their medical records online.

"Emergency physicians have been waiting for a method of accessing an incoming patient's complete medical information," explains Thomas Booth, MD, MS, PersonalMD.com's vice president of medical affairs. "These medical professionals are very enthusiastic about finally being able to obtain this information at the exact moment they are diagnosing a patient and determining the appropriate treatment." Scott Plantz, M.D., vice president, American Academy of Emergency Medicine agrees.

"This is a major breakthrough in the emergency physician's ability to make informed, split second decisions regarding the health of our patients when every moment is precious. Instantaneous access to vital information, including current medications, known drug allergies and EKGs, could mean the difference between life and death.

" E-File, a feature of PersonalMD.com's free medical records service, enables members and physicians they authorize, to fax vital medical information, including EKGs, x-ray reports, and even advance directives (living wills) into their confidential PersonalMD.com medical file.

In the event of an emergency, physicians anywhere in the world can access this crucial information upon arrival in the ER&or earlier. Even paramedics can be authorized to alert emergency department physicians to important patient information while still en route to the hospital.

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Internet Company Characterizes Service as the Medical Equivalent of Quicken

"PersonalMD.com provides members with all of the tools they need to streamline their medical records, much like Quicken does for financial data, " says PersonalMD.com CEO and President Suresh Challa. "Information entered into the member's medical record remains confidential until it is needed by emergency physicians during a medical crisis.

The e-file feature takes medical care to the next level." Information in a member's file can be extremely comprehensive. Members gather data from a wide variety of sources, including home file cabinets, primary physicians' and specialists' offices, and pharmacists. Upon registration, members are eligible to receive a free PersonalMD-ER Card which they carry in their wallets and can give to emergency physicians.

The medical personnel can then use the cardholder's information to gain read-only access to the medical records via a standard fax machine or the Internet. This vital information includes drug allergies and sensitivities; current medications; advance directives (living wills), personal and family medical history.

Since all information is provided when a member is relaxed, he or she is better able to remember important details, then when in a stressful emergency department situation. Each individual member determines the exact amount of detail he or she wishes to provide. But, emergency department physicians agree that the more complete the information, the better able they will be to make crucial treatment decisions.

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About PersonalMD.com

One of the premier destination health sites, PersonalMD.com is the only Internet service to enable consumers to: · Manage personal medical files in one secure, confidential site · Use e-file to fax lab results and tests directly into their medical records ·

Receive a PersonalMD-ER Card which can be used by emergency physicians to access this vital information from anywhere in the world · Log onto a personalized home page with information customized to the consumer's designated areas of interest. - more - Expanded Web Site/3 Consumers have the option of registering for a basic or premier PersonalMD.com membership, both of which are free of charge.

The basic membership includes: a home page with disease management issues, medical news and health tips geared exclusively to the member's designated areas of interest; on-line seminars; a drug database; health encyclopaedia approved by the American Academy of Family Physicians Foundation with 700 medical and surgical topics in English and Spanish; chat rooms; message boards; e-store, and emergency information.

A premier membership includes the medical record management feature, PersonalMD-ER Card and e-File, in addition to all the privileges enjoyed with a basic membership. Family premier memberships feature a Family PersonalMD-ER card that includes information for all family members in addition to individual cards.

PersonalMD.com subscribes to HON (Health on the Net) ethical guidelines, which ensure confidentiality of all health information on the Internet. No one, except the member and physicians he or she authorizes, can access the encrypted subscriber information.

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Press Contact for Media:
Susan Cossette,
Director, Corporate Communications, at (925) 460-9088