PERSONALMD.COM and HealthAllies.com Partner to Offer Consumers Greater Control of Their Personal Health and Medical Bills

Two Companies Empower Consumers with Resources to Maintain Health Records Online and Ability to Lower Out-of-Pocket Medical Costs

PLEASANTON AND GLENDALE, CA, January 4, 2000 -- PersonalMD.com, the premier destination health site providing health-related rich content and life-saving services, and HealthAllies.com, a breakthrough healthcare consumer advocate Internet company, today announced a strategic partnership to empower consumers with greater control over their personal and families' health and to reduce out-of-pocket medical costs.

Under the terms of the partnership, HealthAllies.com members can utilize PersonalMD.com to create and maintain their personal health records online, while PersonalMD.com members have access to HealthAllies.com's purchasing power and negotiating team to lower their out-of-pocket medical costs, whether or not they have health insurance.

"PersonalMD.com continually strives to help members improve their health and well being," states PersonalMD.com CEO/President Suresh Challa. "Offering our members a way to reduce their out-of-pocket costs on medical bills is a perfect adjunct to our full spectrum of health-related services, ranging from personal online health records to the emergency card, and content personalized to each and every member's specific health interests."

"We are pleased to partner with PersonalMD.com to offer the ability for our members to maintain and access their medical records online," said Andy Slavitt, Co-founder and Chief Executive Officer, HealthAllies.com. "Using our WebBillCheck, PersonalMD.com members can determine instantly if their medical bills can be reduced and then leverage our negotiation abilities to reduce these bills. Together, our members are empowered to take greater control over their medical care."

Via a link on the HealthAllies.com site, customers can enter their personal medical information into their www.PersonalMD.com secure and confidential online personal health record. Details that can be entered include known drug allergies, personal and family medical history and other important facts. PersonalMD.com is the only online personal health record service that allows paper-based medical information, such as EKGs and lab results, to be added via a secure fax-to-fax server connection without human intervention. Following registration, customers receive a free PersonalMD Emergency Card to carry with them at all times. In the event that a HealthAllies.com/PersonalMD.com member is one of the 100 million people visiting emergency rooms each year, ER personnel will have the ability to retrieve all vital information immediately via the Internet or fax.

Through this partnership, PersonalMD.com members will have quick access to HealthAllies.com's WebBillCheck" feature that allows members to determine instantly if their medical bills can be reduced. Members can then ask HealthAllies.com to take over the negotiation process and paperwork in exchange for a reasonable percent of the savings, with no up-front payment or financial risk. HealthAllies.com also can leverage its buying power to effectively secure pre-negotiated, fixed-cost pricing for members prior to treatment. About HealthAllies.com

Founded in August, 1999, HealthAllies.com is a breakthrough healthcare consumer advocate Internet company and the online authority in consumer healthcare costs. Consumers can log onto HealthAllies.com's website to check the appropriate cost of any medical expense anywhere in the country. The consumer can then gain access to HealthAllies.com's services and reduced rates to schedule a medical procedure or reduce an existing medical bill on anything from MRIs to surgeries to routine doctor visits to fertility counseling.

HealthAllies.com's financial partners include idealab Capital Partners (ICP), a Southern California-based venture capital firm affiliated with idealab!. A leader in early-stage venture financing of Internet companies, ICP's investments include: CarsDirect, eToys (ETYS), eMusic (Nasdaq: EMUS), GoTo.com (Nasdaq: GOTO), Jobs.com, NetZero (Nasdaq: NZRO), MP3.com (Nasdaq: MPPP), and Tickets.com. For more information about HealthAllies.com, please check the website at http://www.HealthAllies.com or call toll free (877) 871-1647.

About PersonalMD.com

PersonalMD.com (http://www.PersonalMD.com) is the first consumer-oriented health information site that has the potential to save lives by providing consumers with the ability to truly take control of their own health records. This is especially important in emergency situations, where a physician might need someone's medical information immediately. PersonalMD.com makes it possible to find the medical and health information people need, from their own confidential medical records to scientific breakthroughs in disease management and health issues, by just pointing and clicking.

The keys to the site are PersonalMD.com's proprietary e-file and innovative Emergency Card. E-file enables consumers to fax paper-based documents, including EKGs, lab reports and doctor's notes in a secure manner for free. The Emergency Card provides the link between the online records and medical professionals. The member's user name, PIN Code (if desired), and Fax ID are printed on the front of the Card, while pertinent information; e.g.: contact physician and family names, drug allergies and blood type can appear on the back.

PersonalMD.com is headquartered in Pleasanton, California. The President and CEO is Suresh Challa.

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Press Contact for Media:
For PersonalMD.com
Susan Cossette
Susan@PersonalMD.com
925/460-9088

For HealthAllies.com
Lynda Orban
Lynda@HealthAllies.com
877/871-1647