(Long Beach, California, October 13, 2005) – Health Care Evaluation, Inc. (HCE), a wholly owned subsidiary of ppoNEXT, announced today a new company name and logo. HCE provides complete Care Management services to clients throughout the United States. The new image is in accordance with that of its parent company, ppoNEXT.

Acquiring HCE in 1999, ppoNEXT took a progressive move forward with the name change. Jim Pennington, Executive VP and Chief Operating Officer for ppoNEXT comments, "One of the reasons HCE is such a good fit with ppoNEXT is because they share the same dedication to quality and progressive thinking that we value so highly. It's only fitting that our marketing image be unified." HCE has changed its name to NEXT care management with a similar logo and marketing image to ppoNEXT.

The name change underscores HCE's growth and evolution into a full service Care Management solution. "By implementing best practices and incorporating innovative technologies, HCE has become our national platform for Care Management," adds Pennington.

Mary Cassol, VP of Care Management for HCE, comments, "It's important that our valued partners know that HCE will continue to provide the same services with the same uncompromising quality they have come to expect." HCE has been in existence since 1968. "We have clients throughout the U.S., and this adjustment will bring us more nationwide brand recognition. Our new image will serve as outward evidence of the like-minded endeavors that both companies have shared since 1999."

About ppoNEXT:
Founded in 1999, ppoNEXT is a leading provider of health network services aimed at assisting companies, and therefore, consumers with managing the spiraling cost of healthcare by actively participating in Consumer Driven Healthcare initiatives. As these initiatives hold great promise as mechanisms to aid employers in gaining control over the cost of employee health benefits, ppoNEXT is dedicated to providing services that are like-minded, realizing that companies who meet the challenges faced by opening the healthcare marketplace will be at the forefront of delivering on that promise. Based in Long Beach, California, ppoNEXT offers clients access to over 450,000 physicians, 3,700 hospitals, and thousands of leading ancillary care providers in key markets such as the Midwest, Texas, California, and Florida. ppoNEXT serves self-funded employers, third party administrators, insurance carriers, HMOs, and bill review firms. Through its subsidiary, Health Care Evaluation, ppoNEXT offers disease management, as well as utilization review and care management services.

For more information about ppoNEXT, please contact:

Etta Jones
Corporate Marketing
214-267-3394