MyDocOnline Launches 'Dr. Chart,' Links Laboratories and Healthcare Providers Using Secure Internet Connections

ROUND ROCK, Texas and SAN DIEGO, Feb. 11 /PRNewswire/ -- MyDocOnline(TM), a subsidiary of Aventis, today released MyDocOnline(TM) Dr. Chart(R) version 8.0, an electronic lab communication tool that links laboratories to healthcare providers via the Internet to automate the manual activities associated with lab orders and result reporting. MyDocOnline Dr. Chart will be demonstrated at The Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS) annual conference in San Diego, February 9-13, 2003.

MyDocOnline provides innovative tools that enable online communication across the healthcare community, enhancing efficiency and patient care. MyDocOnline Dr. Chart, part of the clinical suite offered by MyDocOnline, enables healthcare providers to initiate lab orders online, automate approval processes for lab reimbursement known as medical necessity compliance, and facilitate viewing of results rapidly and accurately. The functionality can also help reduce costly reimbursement denials by providing automatic Medicare compliance and Advanced Beneficiary Notices (ABNs) responsible for informing a patient when coverage cannot be applied, and requiring the patient's authorization to ensure lab costs are personally covered.

"The Dr. Chart offering demonstrates our ability to provide efficiencies across the entire healthcare community," said Kirk Schueler, CEO of MyDocOnline. "Our strength and comprehensive offerings in the marketplace provides us with the opportunity to extend MyDocOnline's communication tool as a channel between healthcare providers, their clinical and administrative partners, and their patients."

The features of MyDocOnline Dr. Chart are easy-to-use by physicians and their staff. The Dr. Chart tool comes with customizable easy-to-read screens, built-in alerts and messaging, and automatic printing of bar-coded labels. Most importantly, MyDocOnline Dr. Chart provides secure Internet connections and encryption of data to help ensure patient privacy is protected.

MyDocOnline Dr. Chart is introducing additional features in Dr. Chart version 8.0. MyDocOnline Dr. Chart can be purchased as a standalone product or in combination with other products in the MyDocOnline suite, such as MyDocOnline(TM) Connect. The product will be demonstrated at booth number 1547 at the HIMSS conference.

About MyDocOnline

Acquired by Aventis in October 2000, MyDocOnline provides innovative tools that enable online communication across the healthcare community, enhancing efficiency and patient care. Its comprehensive product suite -- MyDocOnline Connect, MyDocOnline Practice Solutions and MyDocOnline Dr Chart -- offers a secure communication channel between healthcare providers, their clinical and administrative partners, and their patients.

About Aventis

Aventis is dedicated to improving life by treating and preventing human disease through the discovery and development of innovative prescription drugs for important therapeutic areas as well as vaccines. In 2002, Aventis generated sales of euro 17.6 billion (16.6 billion USD), invested euro 3.1 billion (2.97 billion USD) in research and development and employed approximately 71,000 people in its core business. Aventis corporate headquarters are in Strasbourg, France. The company's prescription drugs business is conducted in the U.S. by Aventis Pharmaceuticals Inc., which is headquartered in Bridgewater, New Jersey. For more information about Aventis in the U.S., please visit: http://www.aventis-us.com/.

Statements in this news release other than historical information are forward-looking statements subject to risks and uncertainties. Actual results could differ materially depending on factors such as the availability of resources, the timing and effects of regulatory actions, the strength of competition, the outcome of litigation, and the effectiveness of patent protection. Additional information regarding risks and uncertainties is set forth in the current Annual Report on Form 20-F of Aventis on file with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

MyDocOnline

CONTACT: Jill Moskowitz of Cohn & Wolfe, +1-212-798-9837,
Jill_Moskowitz@nyc.cohnwolfe.com, for MyDocOnline; or Christine Kirby of
MyDocOnline/Aventis Pharmaceuticals, +1-908-243-2487,
Christine.Kirby@aventis.com

Web site: http://www.aventis-us.com/