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LIFEMASTERS TO PROVIDE DISEASE MANAGMENT FOR STATE TEACHERS RETIREMENT SYSTEM OF OHIO

Irvine, Calif. (November 11, 2002) - LifeMasters® Supported SelfCareSM, Inc. today announced that it has entered into a three-year contract with the State Teachers Retirement System of Ohio (STRS Ohio) to provide disease management services to retired educators and their dependents with chronic illnesses.

Retired members of the STRS Ohio health plan diagnosed with congestive heart failure (CHF), coronary artery disease (CAD), chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and/or diabetes have already begun enrolling in the LifeMasters disease management program. The program provides training, coaching and, in partnership with physicians, daily monitoring of vital signs to improve participants' health. The result is a healthier population as well as lowered costs for STRS Ohio, a retirement system serving more than 400,000 active, inactive and retired Ohio public educators.

In offering disease management services to its retired members, STRS Ohio provides an empowering framework for self-monitoring through personalized disease-specific care and information. Based upon past performance of LifeMasters' disease management programs customized for specific audiences, both STRS Ohio and LifeMasters recognized the potential for effective implementation of disease management among a retired educator population.

Two STRS Ohio members, James Williams of Wheelersburg, Ohio and Sara Green of Van Wert, Ohio are among the early adopters of the LifeMasters program. Mr. Williams, a guidance counselor and teacher of American Government studies for 27 years, said that participating in LifeMasters' diabetes disease management regimen has inspired him to become far more aware of the status of his health than he has been previously. In keeping with the LifeMasters program, Mr. Williams transmits his vital statistics each day by phone to be monitored and assessed by a LifeMasters nurse. "I was really shocked the first time I received a call from my LifeMasters nurse alerting me to the fact that my blood sugar levels had dropped substantially," he said. "But I really appreciated the call. Having to answer to someone else each day about maintaining my health keeps me aware and involved," he added.

Ms. Green, who taught first grade for 34 years, had just finished a course of therapy at her hospital when she learned of the LifeMasters' program. She began participating as a way to extend the lessons she learned at the hospital. According to Ms. Green, the LifeMasters program helps her keep herself more aware of her vital statistics and how to self-care for her condition. "I am now much more aware of numbers and other indicators and how they translate and affect my treatment," she said. "LifeMasters nurses have had great impact in helping me to actively take control of my own care."

"Our STRS Ohio members have given a lifetime of teaching and guidance to Ohio's students, and in retirement we want to provide them with care they so richly deserve," said Herb Dyer, executive director of STRS Ohio. "Teachers, more than any other group, are acutely aware of the value of a good education. LifeMasters' ongoing training, education and dialogue allows them to continue their lifelong learning processes into retirement."

"LifeMasters programs offer a level of support that encourages members to be more proactive about their own care while at the same time helping to raise awareness about prevention," said Christobel Selecky, LifeMasters' CEO. "By actively working to prevent episodes associated with chronic illness before they occur, LifeMasters becomes an invaluable ingredient in the overall health care process. Participants are increasingly empowered to make better health care decisions for themselves; physicians benefit from innovative monitoring tools that allow them to make the best possible care decisions on behalf of their patients; and overall health-related costs are reduced since emergency room visits and hospitalizations are reduced by the early intervention," she added.

For More Information Contact:

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