American Medical Alert Corporation and Health Hero Network launch PERS Buddy for interactive patient monitoring

Oceanside 24 October 2002 American Medical Alert Corporation (AMAC), a provider of Personal Emergency Response Systems (PERS) and 24 hour monitoring services, and Health Hero Network Inc., the developer of award-winning technology solutions for health monitoring, have released PERS Buddy. This new, interactive monitoring system combines AMAC's personal emergency response technology with Health Hero Network's Health Buddy appliance, utilising the Health Hero technology platform to ensure secure data management and health care provider access to patient data across an Internet connection.

PERS Buddy is the first product to combine access to emergency care with ongoing health monitoring for over a dozen medical conditions to increase a health care provider's ability to monitor patients at home, which is expected to result in improved patient security as well as prolonging a patient's ability to remain independent.

Unveiled at the Disease Management Association of America (DMAA) Conference, October 23 in San Antonio, Texas, PERS Buddy marks an important milestone in the strategic alliance between Health Hero Network and AMAC in the creation of a comprehensive solution for patients by covering all aspects of care from emergency response to disease management monitoring.

PERS Buddy gives patients immediate access to a 24/7 monitoring centre for emergency care, 2-way voice communication and daily interactive contact via scripted communication. With Internet data reporting capabilities, providers have a new ability to monitor symptoms, identify problems, and take appropriate action to intervene in a cost-effective, timely manner.

"With PERS Buddy, we believe AMAC delivers a fully integrated 24/7 telehealth platform to health care providers that can enable cost effective care for disease state monitoring to improve health outcomes and increase patient safety. Patients using PERS Buddy will enjoy the experience of enhanced communication with their provider and greater independence and quality of life", stated Fred Siegel, Vice President of Marketing, AMAC at a DMAA press conference in San Antonio, Texas.

"The new category of health care technology created by AMAC's PERS Buddy expands the Health Buddy product line by continuing our tradition of delivering innovative technology to help both patients and providers, giving each group easy access to the information and services they require", stated Steve Brown, CEO and President of Health Hero Network.

By combining the Health Buddy appliance patient interface and AMAC's experience in emergency response monitoring, PERS Buddy enables patients to receive and respond to daily questions and education from their health care providers at home and provides patients with immediate access to assistance in an emergency.

The system utilises the Health Hero Network technology platform, which supplies secure data transfer and management and is the basis for provider interaction with patient data. Health care providers will access patient information through the AMAC iCare Desktop, a broadbased communications tool used by medical professionals to manage large populations of chronically ill patients while maintaining high quality of care. PERS Buddy will be commercially available January 1, 2003 from both Health Hero Network and AMAC.

AMAC is specialised in remote health monitoring devices and 24/7 communication services designed to promote early medical intervention and improve quality of life for senior, disabled, and chronically ill populations. AMAC's product and service offerings include Personal Emergency Response Systems (PERS), electronic medication reminder devices, disease management monitoring appliances, and 24/7 medical on-call and emergency response monitoring. AMAC operates several National Medical On-Call and Communication Centers allowing access to trained response professionals 24/7.

Health Hero Network Inc., founded in 1988 and headquartered in Mountain View, California, develops and licenses industry-leading technology solutions for health monitoring and management. The Health Hero technology platform offers Internet-enabled care management tools, multiple patient interfaces, and a secure environment for data communications.

The company's product line includes Health Buddy, Health Buddy Web and other licensee devices for data collection and communications with patients, and iCare Desktop, an Internet-based care management and research solution for health care professionals. Health Hero offers over a dozen standard health management programmes delivering daily monitoring and education, and promoting positive behavioural change for better chronic care with lower costs to the health care system. Health Hero Network technology is protected by over 50 issued United States patents.

AMAC to Incur Non-Recurring Charge To Modify Certain PERS Units

OCEANSIDE, NY January 20, 2005, – American Medical Alert Corporation (Nasdaq: AMAC), a national provider of home health monitoring appliances and 24-hour healthcare communication services, today announced it will realize a non-recurring charge of approximately $1.5 million for costs it expects to incur to upgrade certain versions of its Personal Emergency Response Systems ("PERS") and related equipment. The amount of the charge is subject to adjustment either upward or downward based predominately upon how closely the Company can align the exchange program with its normal equipment refurbishment and replacement program. The Company has not yet determined over what period(s) the charge will be recorded. The Company has determined that certain versions of its PERS equipment emit levels of radio frequency energy that exceed applicable standards designed to reduce the possibility of interference with radio communications. Although this issue poses no safety or functionality risk to subscribers, the Company plans to work with its provider agencies to facilitate this technical upgrade through an exchange program. The Company is working with the Federal Communications Commission to assure that all of its PERS equipment satisfies all applicable standards and regulations.

Management believes the Company will continue to generate sufficient cash flow from operations to satisfy its anticipated obligation associated with this exchange program. Anticipated costs include material, shipping and labor costs for the equipment upgrade, inventory provisions for service providers to facilitate the exchange program and costs associated with in-field visits to perform exchanges in AMAC's local service areas.

Howard Siegel, Chief Executive Officer, speaking on behalf of AMAC stated: "We believe the Company's exchange program is an effective method to upgrade the affected systems and ensure compliance. We are working closely with our local service providers to make the exchange program a seamless event. Notwithstanding this non-recurring charge, the Company expects to continue the execution of its business plan in its Telehealth, PERS and Telephone Answering Service businesses."

About American Medical Alert Corp.
AMAC is a national provider of remote health monitoring devices and 24/7 communication services designed to promote early medical intervention and improve quality of life for senior, disabled and chronically ill populations. AMAC's product and service offerings include Personal Emergency Response Systems (PERS), electronic medication reminder devices, disease management monitoring appliances and 24/7 medical on-call and emergency response monitoring. AMAC operates several National Medical On-Call and Communication Centers allowing access to trained response professionals 24/7.

This press release contains forward-looking statements that involve a number of risks and uncertainties. Forward-looking statements may be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as "may," "will," "expect," "believe," "estimate," "project," "anticipate," "continue," or similar terms, variations of those terms or the negative of those terms. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those indicated by such forward-looking statements are set forth in this press release and the Company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), including the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-KSB, the Company's Quarterly Reports on Forms 10-QSB, and other filings and releases. These include uncertainties relating to government regulation, technological changes, our expansion plans, our contract with the City of New York and product liability risks.

Randi Baldwin
randi.baldwin@amac.com
Phone: 516.536.5650
Fax: 516.596.5276

MedicAlert® and American Diabetes Association® Team Up for Diabetics

MedicAlert Foundation, the leading emergency medical information service, and the American Diabetes Association ® (ADA), the nation's leading organization providing diabetes research, information and advocacy, have teamed up to develop an educational strategy designed to increase access to information about both organizations for people living with diabetes.

"The incidence of diabetes is rapidly rising, and is one of the primary conditions among our members," said Ramesh Srinivasan, vice president of marketing at MedicAlert. "The ADA is a perfect fit to educate them on how to develop and maintain healthy lifestyles."

Diabetes can cause heart disease, stroke, high blood pressure, blindness, kidney disease, amputations, and other complications. It is important that these conditions be identified in an emergency to ensure patient safety. The risk for complications among diabetics in an emergency can increase significantly if their conditions aren't relayed to medical professionals.

"With MedicAlert, electronic health records are instantly available to emergency response professionals," said Francie Davenport, corporate membership manager at ADA. " ADA supports the MedicAlert mission to protect and save lives in an emergency, thus enhancing the quality of life for diabetics." There are 18.2 million people in the United States, or 6.3 percent of the population, who have diabetes. While an estimated 13 million have been diagnosed, unfortunately, 5.2 million people are unaware that they have the disease.

About MedicAlert
Founded in 1956, MedicAlert (http://www.medicalert.org) is one of the world’s largest nonprofit membership organizations with a mission to protect and save lives. The MedicAlert Electronic Health Record provides a secure and seamless transfer of identification and medical information to health and safety professionals 24 hours a day anywhere in the world, thereby ensuring patient safety and improving the quality of their care. Headquartered in the United States, MedicAlert has affiliates in 9countries including Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia, and New Zealand that help serve our 4 million members around the globe.

About the ADA
Founded in 1940, the American Diabetes Association (http://www.diabetes.org) conducts programs in all 50 states and the District of Columbia, reaching hundreds of communities. The mission of the Association is to prevent and cure diabetes and to improve the lives of all people affected by diabetes. To fulfill this mission, the American Diabetes Association funds research, publishes scientific findings, provides information and other services to people with diabetes, their families, health professionals and the public. The Association is also actively involved in advocating for scientific research and for the rights of people with diabetes.

Medical Alarm USA receives Consumer Advisory Council Seal Of Approval®

Provider of home Medical Alarm units for independent seniors receives the coveted Consumer Advisory Council Seal Of Approval® for excellence in product and service to consumers.

(PRWEB) November 22, 2004 -- Medical Alarm USA is pleased to announce that they have received the Seal Of Approval® from the Consumer Advisory Council. The award recognizes Medical Alarm USA for their strong consumer oriented approach to sales and high product quality.

Company vice-president, Francine Intile, said, "You know, we've been offering great products and terrific service for years and nothing like this has ever happened. I guess its true, you do right by people and it comes back to you. Its very gratifying to receive such recognition of our efforts."What really made the difference, according to Ray Dillard, CAC awards committee chairman, was a review of customer inquiries. "We were very pleased", says Dillard, "at just how low key their sales presentations tend to be. They make it easy for callers to obtain the information they need to make a good consumer choice."

The Linear PERS-2400 offered by Medical Alarm USA is used primarily by seniors to call for help when they've been injured at home or suffered a medical complication and can't reach the telephone to call for help. Intile says, "When your service can make the difference between life and death for a senior citizen, you can't take shortcuts. We don't just sell medical alarms, we sell the freedom for seniors to live at home safely and securely. And we take that responsibility very seriously."

Medical Alarm USA, a nationwide provider of medical alarm devices and monitoring services, is part of the Statewide Security Services family of businesses, a respected provider of security systems serving American business and home owners for more than 20 years.

Contact:Medical Alarm USAwww.medical-alarm-usa.com
Francine Intile, e-mail protected from spam bots
(800) 655-6872.

Why you might want a medical alarm

Reports suggest that one in three elderly people fall once a year. Though the majority of these falls are not serious, the person may not be able to get up on their own and may not be discovered for some time by which their condition may have worsened considerable. This is when medical alarms prove their worth. Falling, and the fear of falling, can cause elderly people to loose confidence in their ability to cope on their own and inhibit what they do.


Caring for a loved one yourself is not always possible. Family members rarely stay in the area in which they were brought up. Even if possible, it is a difficult task and one that not all family members feel ready to undertake. Similarly, just because a person is elderly and perhaps a bit wobbly on their feet it does not mean they need constant attention. A medical alarm allows them to maintain some independence whilst also protecting them in case of an accident.


The medical alarm consists of a simple electronic transmitter in the form of a pendant worn around the neck or wrist. A notorious place for falls, the pendant can even be worn in the bath or shower, as it is fully waterproof. If a fall occurs and the button on the pendant is pressed, a signal is transmitted to the external monitoring station. Within a minute, they will have received your alarm and dialed your home number. They will then talk to you via a console installed in your house or through activating the speakerphone on your normal home phone. In this way you can describe what the problem is and the appropriate action can be taken. This might only be alerting your neighbors, or it may be sending the emergency services. If your alarm is triggered and you cannot speak, the paramedics will be sent automatically. It can also be activated up to 300ft from the house so if you fell in the garden you could still summon help.


Medical alarms reduce the severity of domestic accidents and cost much less then buying full time home help. If you or a member of your family feel at risk from falling in, or around your home then a medical alarm will give you the confidence you need to continue your domestic life.

The source of this article is http://www.medical-alarm.us/