NORTHAMPTON, Mass., January 7, 2002 --- Healthcommunities.com�, Inc., a leading provider of online health care information for consumers and medical professionals, today announced the acquisition of Milliman USA�s Healthcare Management University (HMU), a virtual campus offering continuing medical education (CME) to medical professionals. HMU is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME). Participants receive Category 1 CME credits for completed courses.

Healthcommunities.com�s physician members can now access the online courses � free of charge � directly from CMEchannel.net�, an exclusive Healthcommunities.com physician resource. The CMEchannel curriculum was developed to serve executive-level and practicing physicians interested in learning about clinical and practice management, health care economics and technological changes in the medical field.

Currently available courses include "The Integration and Implementation of Clinical Practice Guidelines" and "Healthcare 2005: Positioning Your Practice/Organization for Success." "Continuing medical education is critical to professional growth but finding time is always a challenge," said Dr. Stanley J. Swierzewski III, Healthcommunities.com founder and chairman. "CMEchannel makes it possible for our physician members to earn CME credits from their home or office, at their convenience and without additional expense."

Healthcommunities.com�, Inc., a privately held company founded in 1998, provides innovative online resources for health care consumers and professionals. The company�s medical specialty Web channels, in partnership with leading pharmaceutical and medical technology companies, serve health care consumers searching for reliable information. Healthcommunities.com is a Physician Developed and Monitored� online community providing medical information and resources in a trusted environment.