BID FOR SURGERY ONLINE

In February 2000, Medicine Online (www.medicineonline.com), the healthcare portal for the new millennium, will launch the first Bid-For-Surgery auction site on the Internet. Through Medicine Online, consumers who are seeking elective, non-emergent surgical procedures will have the ability to post a request for surgery that will then be made available to qualified surgeons. The physicians may respond, within a specified time frame, by posting their credentials and professional fees. While the idea may seem unconventional at first glance, it is indeed a revolutionary concept whose time has come.

"Bid-For-Surgery will be similar to a medical ebay," said Kevin Moshayedi, CEO of Medicine Online, Inc. "By using the power of the Internet, Bid-For-Surgery will offer consumers the opportunity to exercise freedom of choice and one-stop access to qualified surgeons, each having proven training, experience and credentials in various specialties."

How does the process work? According to Moshayedi, it is quite simple. "Individuals seeking services will log on to MOL, click on the Auction section and post a description of the desired surgical procedure (e.g., cosmetic surgery such as a face lift). They will also be required to provide health and background information. The surgery request is then posted on the web site in an encrypted and confidential section and MOL begins processing bids from surgeons affiliated with its global network of participating physicians."

The surgeons have 72 hours to bid. At any time during or after the bidding process the consumer may log on to MOL and monitor bids, as well as review the surgeon's background. Information will include Board certification/qualifications; licensure; years in practice; medical school attended; post graduate training; academic appointments and teaching activities; professional achievements and total number of surgeries of the type requested performed during the previous two years. The range of the surgeon's fee for desired services will also be posted.

"Information on bidding surgeons is then electronically posted on MOL's fully-secure server," Moshayedi explained. "The consumer will then be notified via e-mail from MOL that the bidding is closed. At that time, the consumer may log on to MOL to finalize their selection. Once a choice is made, the consumer may schedule one face-to-face consultation with the doctor at his or her office at no cost. Based on the meeting, the consumer may or may not choose to go forward. In fact, they may consult once with every physician who bids, all at no charge. The result - an informed healthcare consumer empowered with options and complete confidentiality."

What about the physician's side of the equation? Dr. Richard Van Meter, a Huntington Beach, California internist and pulmonary specialist says, "This is the most innovative online marketing concept available to the healthcare professional today. It allows physicians to maximize and publicize the value of their hard-earned training, experience and credentials to the fullest extent while empowering the patient with freedom of choice."

Partnering with two prominent California physicians, Moshayedi launched Medicine Online, a California corporation, in 1995. Since that time, the web site has dramatically grown to become the most content-rich healthcare location on the Web. Targeted to both consumer and healthcare professional, MOL is an online healthcare company whose current websites, www.mol.net (for physicians and other healthcare professionals) and www.medicineonline.com (for consumers), offer online healthcare information exchange, clinical content, connectivity services and solutions, community services and e-commerce transactions. Also featured are "Ask the Doc" services and, as of February 2000, the company's most ingenious innovation to date, Bid-For-Surgery, a patent pending reverse marketing concept.

"We want to improve the world of medicine and health through technology on MOL," said CEO Moshayedi. "It is my feeling that with Bid-For-Surgery, MOL will take a quantum leap in reaching that goal."

Contact: Lorraine Santoli

Medicine Online Public Relations

949-888-9336

lsantoli@mol.net