Santa Barbara, CA, January 15, 2003 - InTouch Health, Inc., the leader in remote presence technology for healthcare service providers, and Rehabilitation Institute at Santa Barbara today announced a collaborative effort to evaluate a revolutionary new device - a robot called the "Companion" that enables healthcare assessment and consultation at a distance. The Companion allows a physician or other healthcare professional, say in Santa Barbara, to "virtually" treat a patient in a rural community such as Lompoc, without actually having to be there. The enablement of this treatment modality poses a number of new and significant advantages.

• In today's society where the shortage of healthcare providers already exists, the Companion can leverage the time and expertise of medical professionals across many care facilities to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of care delivery.

• Medical treatment can be delivered to communities where services are unavailable.

• Training, coaching and monitoring can be provided to patients and distant caregivers by medical professionals in real time at the point of care.

• Patients can be treated without costly or difficult travel.

• In the case of inpatient hospital stays, a distant caregiver can observe follow-on care requirements and learn how to properly assist the patient when they return home.

• The Companion, developed by InTouch Health, is currently undergoing testing at Rehabilitation Institute at Santa Barbara (RISB). RISB professional therapists are conducting tests to assess the feasibility of using the Companion robot in remote rehabilitation treatments.

Dr. Yulun Wang, chairman and CEO of InTouch Health said, "The introduction of the Companion marks a new paradigm for the way healthcare will be delivered in the near future. We believe our solution can greatly enhance the quality of care delivered to patients and improve the accessibility of medical services while lowering healthcare costs."

Pat Forgey, vice president of business development for RISB said, "Our Institute's physical, occupational, speech, and recreation therapists have been conducting tests of the robot's capabilities for more than a month now. By working with the Companion system in a real clinical environment, they've been able to ascertain that it really works and has significant potential in delivering remote rehabilitation therapies. We're delighted to play such a key role at this cutting edge of healthcare technology."

About InTouch Health
There is a demographic crisis in healthcare. Over the next 10 years the number of elderly age 85 and over will grow 38%. The number of seniors requiring healthcare support will double. Already today there are over 400,000 unfilled nursing positions causing healthcare providers across the country to close wings or risk negative outcomes. Over the coming years, the declining ratio of working age adults to elderly will further exacerbate the shortage. In 1950 there were 8 adults available to support each elder 65+, today the ratio is 5:1 and by 2020 the ratio will drop to 3 working age adults per elder person. Technology solutions which dramatically increase the effectiveness of healthcare professionals are required.

InTouch Health is addressing this challenge by pioneering the use of Remote Presence in healthcare. Through a proprietary communications and mobile robotic platform, caregivers can be projected to another location where a patient or caregiver is located to provide care, coach and train staff, or monitor healthcare services. The InTouch Health solution leverages the time and expertise of healthcare professionals across many care facilities improving the efficiency and effectiveness of care delivery.

Based in Santa Barbara, CA, InTouch Health is a privately held development stage company.

About Rehabilitation Institute at Santa Barbara
Rehabilitation Institute at Santa Barbara (RISB) was founded in 1955 as a non-profit hospital specializing in medical rehabilitation for stroke survivors and those suffering brain and spinal cord injuries and other neurological disorders. RISB is the premier rehabilitation facility serving California's Central Coast, encompassing Ventura, Santa Barbara, and San Luis Obispo Counties. RISB offers a full range of inpatient and outpatient care that includes physical, occupational, speech, and recreation therapies, physiological services, case management, as well as the Tuohy Foundation Aquatic Center. For more information about Rehabilitation Institute at Santa Barbara, please visit www.risb.org.