PRESS RELEASE

JANUARY 6, 2000 @ 3:00 p.m. PST

Announcement of

Internet-based TeleCLAIM II System

A Pharmacy/Physician Prescription Managed-Care System for PBMs

DP/Rx CORP

28047 Dorothy Avenue, Suite 200

Agoura Hills, California 91301

Phone (818) 865-0099

FAX (818) 865-9153

Email dprx@dprx.com

Contact: Trisha Finn, Public Relations Representative

DP/Rx’s Internet TeleCLAIM II System

Featuring the webRx™ Pharmacy Interface

     DPRx’s is proud to announce delivery of its new product that is designed to solve very important advanced requirements of the Pharmacy Claims processing industry.

• Pharmacy prescription processing over the Internet,
• Universal utility in multiple languages and local currencies,
• Delivery in 2^nd Quarter 2000,
• Collateral Internet products to provide access to the Physician,
• Disease State Management products using voice-tone telephone calls.

     TeleCLAIM II will include all the features that highlighted its predecessor system. This includes the pioneering PlanBuilder product that enables construction of a benefit plan without a programmer’s discipline.

Internet Accessibility – Leapfrogging to the future.

     The most significant advance of this new system is its adaptation to communicate interactively with the Internet. This is clearly the future for the USA market. It will ultimately replace carriers ("switches") that are the standard and mandatory at this time. This change will come rapidly because of the current cost of "switch" communications. The average cost is about $0.10 per call while Internet is flat rated at a fraction of the present variable cost.

     In other North and South American countries the "switch" or carrier has not been entrenched as the standard of data communication. The Internet has proliferated in every country from private use to commercial users at a very rapid rate. Given a free choice, there is no competition for the Internet. Most businesses are already using the Internet for purchasing, communications, e-commerce and many other B-to-B applications.

     In many countries rural areas are not even capable of buying a traditional data communications carrier at a reasonable price. Comes the Internet, now any pharmacy with a telephone line service can operate economically with the Internet. Moreover, there is virtually no additional investment if the pharmacist already has a computer and a modem to use the Internet for the reasons mentioned above. 

     No special installation would be required. When a pharmacy signs on to a contract for a benefit plan network participation, he will simply be given a password and an Internet address to commence interacting in the benefit program.

     The optional features that will be included in the webRx product are localized accounting, voice response (PCs with Multi-media), messages for alternative drugs, and many other unique advantages over traditional In-store Pharmacy systems. All this without the cost of the software for such Pharmacy systems.

Universal application of webRx

     This system has been designed to have utility in any major country in the American continent. Multiple languages of the Americas gives authentic universality to user communications by toggling the selection at the Point of Sale device. Adaptation to local currency denominations are now implemented for Chile, Argentina and Brasil. Others will be added in short special development cycles based on demand.

     The "toggling" of language and currencies will enable same company business across sovereign lines of coverage. This may mean that the same coverage may be used in multiple countries by an individual member of such a universal plan. Such an approach will have a special advantage to Drug Chains operating in more than one country.

      This pharmacy claims processing system will have a functionally attractive presentation of prescription data that will be capable of displaying to the customer at the Point of Sale or Point of Service.

Special Provisions for Physician Access.

      The TeleCLAIM II system is expandable to include an Internet based access to the databases of patient’s histories for their responsible Physicians. After reviewing the recent drug prescriptions of his patient, the Physician is assisted in the appropriate selection of the drug he prescribes.

     Compliance with the formulary, if applicable, is the primary assist provided to the physician. The secondary assistance provided to the physician is the Drug Utilization Review. "DUR" is designed to signal and intercept drug interactions for the protection of the patient who uses multiple physicians. Other aspects of the DUR checking indicate or signal duplicate therapies, suggested and appropriate dosage levels, gender and age intercepts for inappropriate prescribed drugs.

      A future extension of this module of the new TeleCLAIM II system is the automated creation of the prescription for the Physician and forwarding of the prescription to the pharmacy in advance of the member arriving there for early fulfillment of the physician’s prescription.

Disease State Management Assistance by TeleCLAIM II.

     Total medical costs are substantially affected by efficient patient compliance with prescribed therapies. Many studies have shown that better therapeutic compliance results in lower hospital admissions. Savings and better outcomes are not disputed when it is understood that hospital admissions and their expense represent over 50% of total medical costs – far outstripping the cost of pharmaceuticals.

     The TeleCLAIM II system provides many modules that assist in improving patient therapy compliance. Current technology has provided voice systems that replicate vocal representations from text data. This means that TeleCLAIM II can receive touch tone signals for input of inquiries and respond with voice answers to these questions and inquiries.

     The system module called "TeleREMIND" is a time-programmed automatic telephone call to a member to remind them of returning to the pharmacy for a refill of a prescription that has expired. Other versions of this product can inquire with the patient about their compliance and feedback about the patient’s condition after a certain period of time elapsing since the initial commencement of a drug therapy.

     The TeleCLAIM II module, called "TeleCONFIRM", enables confirmation of eligibility by the Pharmacist calling a designated phone address and then entering a member’s birth date and name to the computer by touch-toning entry. A voice message responds with confirmation or rejection. This is particularly useful to the pharmacist when patients arrive without their membership card or identification.

Summary of TeleCLAIM II and its product webRx.

     The most significant benefit to this new enhancement of the TeleCLAIM II system is its integration of Internet functionality.

     Significant pharmacy savings are easily achieved by low cost Internet data communications for submission of prescription orders. This opens the door to small and rural pharmacies that may not be able to integrate themselves into a typical benefit sponsor’s program under today’s technologies.

     No extra expense is incurred by the pharmacy for installation. No extra expense for the pharmacy based on the number of prescriptions processed. No special training in order to utilize the Internet product called webRx.

     As future development continues with Internet products, new and more elaborate techniques will be implemented that include animations, graphics and voice messaging. For more information, contact DP/Rx at dprx@dprx.com or call USA (818) 865-0099.