LifeLink Monitoring Announces New Service
To Improve Blood Pressure Diagnosis and Control

NEW YORK, May 19, 1999 - A new system to improve both diagnosis and treatment of high blood pressure was announced here today at the American Society of Hypertension (ASH) annual scientific meeting. LifeLink Monitoring Corporation introduced a hypertension management system that enables patients to monitor their blood pressure at home and, for the first time, to send complete reports of their readings to their doctors over the telephone, without the need for a home computer.

Clinical studies reported at the ASH meeting indicate that use of the new service may improve blood pressure control, reduce the overall cost of care, and increase patient satisfaction. Better blood pressure control reduces a person's risk of stroke, heart disease, kidney failure, and premature death.

"Patients, doctors and managed care all benefit from home blood pressure telemonitoring," said John Holland, president and chief executive officer of LifeLink Monitoring. "Patients take an active role in their own care, and they feel they are getting better care from their doctors as well. Physicians receive complete, accurate and timely patient blood pressure data, and managed care organizations have an effective, lower cost alternative to office blood pressure readings."

Current Blood Pressure Management
Fifty million Americans suffer from hypertension, and 25 million are treated for it. Only half of treated hypertensives have their blood pressure well controlled, according to a major national survey. In addition, 20% of those treated for the disease may not actually require medication, because they have a condition known as 'white coat hypertension,' in which readings taken at the doctor's office are higher than they are in daily life.
According to Dr. Thomas Pickering, of the Hypertension Center at New York Weill Cornell Center of New York Presbyterian Hospital, "having a blood pressure check is the most common reason to see a doctor in the United States, but the doctor's office is one of the least reliable settings in which to assess a patient's true blood pressure."

Home monitoring is a way to see a larger pattern of readings, in a patient's normal environment. Dr. Pickering is presenting results of a clinical trial of LifeLink Monitoring's home blood pressure service at the ASH meeting.

Telemonitoring Addresses Over- and Under-Treatment
Patients check their blood pressure at home with a monitor that automatically inflates the cuff, deflates it, and displays blood pressure and pulse. All readings are automatically stored in the monitor's memory, along with the time and date.

At regular intervals, the patient connects the monitor to a small interface device installed in the telephone line, and sends the stored readings over the telephone to the LifeLink Monitoring facility. As soon as the blood pressure readings are uploaded, the system tells the patient his or her average blood pressure, calculated from the data that has just been sent. If the blood pressure is at the goal recommended by the doctor, the patient also hears a congratulatory message. The entire procedure requires the patient to press a single button, and takes less than 2 minutes.

LifeLink Monitoring sends analyzed reports of the home blood pressures to both doctors and patients, by fax, email or regular mail. Multiple home readings from the automated monitor provide a more accurate picture of the patient's blood pressure, identifying the white coat effect, and signaling lapses in treatment.

The home blood pressure telemonitoring service will be available in June 1999.

About LifeLink Monitoring, Inc.
LifeLink Monitoring, Inc. is a privately held medical service company whose mission is to use technology to assist physicians in the delivery of better care with better information, while empowering patients to take a more active role in assuring their own well-being. The company is headquartered at 3201 Route 212, Bearsville, NY 12409, telephone (845) 679-1152. Additional information is available by visiting the company's web site at www.llmi.com.

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