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LIFEMASTERS RECEIVES FULL NCQA DISEASE MANAGMENT ACCREDITATION IN FIVE DISEASES

Confirmation of Excellence for Health Plans and Other Payors

Irvine, Calif. (November 25, 2002) - LifeMastersŪ Supported SelfCareSM, Inc., a leading disease management company, today announced that it has earned Full Patient and Practitioner Oriented Accreditation from the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) for all five of its disease management programs. The three-year full accreditation covers LifeMasters' congestive heart failure (CHF), coronary artery disease (CAD), chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), diabetes and asthma programs.

The NCQA accreditation program was designed to help purchasers select high-quality disease management providers. Earning accreditation indicates that the disease management provider is dedicated to giving participants and practitioners the support, education and other help necessary to ensure positive outcomes and high-quality care.

"LifeMasters maintains a disciplined focus on each of the five disease states that health plans and other payors request most," said Christobel Selecky, chief executive officer of LifeMasters. "This is clear recognition of the quality of the LifeMasters programs and the rigorous standards we apply to the management of these core chronic diseases. Being awarded accreditation for all five illnesses is confirmation of our effectiveness in generating positive outcomes in each condition."

LifeMasters was judged by six standards in each disease category: patient service, practitioner service, measurement and quality improvement, program content, and clinical systems and program operations. The NCQA developed these standards with input from researchers in the disease management field, the Disease Management Advisory Council (DMAC), standing committees, employers, purchasers and operators of disease management programs, state and federal regulators and other experts.

"NCQA's accreditation externally validates our clinical programs," said Jeffrey M. Davis, M.D., LifeMasters' chief medical officer. "Our health plan and employer partners realize that cost-savings are a direct result of quality medical care, and NCQA's recognition of LifeMasters programs confirms that we are providing superior service to our customers."

LifeMasters served as an alpha test site during NCQA's development of the disease management standards and through that process helped formulate the standards by which disease management providers are evaluated.

NCQA, a private, non-profit organization dedicated to improving health care quality, accredits and certifies a wide range of health care organizations and manages the evolution of HEDISŪ, the performance measurement tool used by more than 90 percent of the nation's health plans. The organization is committed to providing health care quality information through the Web and the media in order to help consumers, employers and others make more informed health care choices.

"NCQA's disease management accreditation program is thorough and rigorous," said Margaret E. O'Kane, president of NCQA. "The program is designed to highlight only those programs that truly improve chronic care. LifeMasters is to be commended for being one of the first organizations in the nation to come forward to be reviewed."

HEDISŪ is a registered trademark of the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA).

For More Information Contact:

Denise Apcar LifeMasters, Inc (650) 829-6217 pr@lifemasters.com