Tokyo – January 13, 2009 – GMO Internet Group company, GMO Hosting & Security and QLife, the healthcare media firm that operates Japan’s leading hospital finder, drug database, and healthcare information website, today announced that the two companies have reached an agreement to form a comprehensive business partnership that will seek to promote the Internet in the healthcare industry.

The partnership will see GMO-HS web design matching service, HomePage Store collaborate with QLife hospital finder and information site to provide solutions that facilitate communication between patients and medical institutions.

Background

In an age where users regularly search the Internet to locate goods and services including hospitals and medicines, it has become essential for medical institutions to provide information online. A website is a medium for hospitals to communicate with patients, and an important tool that can be used in other aspects of hospital operations including recruitment. However, many hospitals do not have the staff to be able to build and maintain a website. These hospitals cannot be located by patients using the Internet to seek medical services, and patients may also have difficulty finding information such as the hospital’s address, consultation hours, and areas of specialization. In some cases we have seen out-of-date information on clinic websites negatively impact on the patient/healthcare provider relationship.

QLife has joined forces with GMO-HS to promote the Internet in the healthcare industry.

Details of the Partnership

GMO-HS service, HomePage Store is a website design matching service with over 6,000* web design partners. QLife has one of the leading hospital finder and information sites in Japan with 1.6 million users each month. It provides services that aim to promote communication between medical institution and patient.

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9/2009 Hosting services

The two companies will work together in the following areas:

1. Production of content on website design and usage for the QLife site. Promoting the importance of websites for medical institutions.
2. Encouraging HomePage Store business partners and GMO-HS business partners to link websites to QLife services. Providing support enabling website designers to produce quality, industry-relevant websites for healthcare.
3. Hosting seminars for website designers and healthcare providers on themes including designing practical websites for healthcare and using the Internet effectively in the industry.

Related Links (all links to Japanese language websites unless otherwise indicated)

HomePage Store: http://homepage-ya.com
QLife: http://www.qlife.jp/
Patient feedback service: http://www.qlife.co.jp/solution/medical_support/drqlife
Word-of-mouth widget:　http://www.qlife.jp/gadget_0000
Reservation link feature: http://www.qlife.co.jp/solution/medical_support/reserve

GMO Hosting & Security

One of Japan's leading hosting providers, GMO Hosting & Security has been providing a diverse range of hosting services through the two brands iSLE and RapidSite since it was first established in 1997. While hosting services are the core of our business we also provide a range of Internet solution products such as electronic authentication certificates and hosting service OEM to ISP and web hosting companies. In November 2006 we received the ISMS (Information Security Management System) International Standard ISO/IEC27001:2005 and JIS Q 27001:2006 Certification.

QLife

QLife is a comprehensive media services company for the healthcare industry that aims to provide a communication tool that bridges the gap between medicine and ordinary people.　The company operates Japan’s leading hospital finder and medical information website. The portal site and information database is visited by 1.6 million (11.2009) patients and healthcare providers every month.

Media Inquiries

GMO Hosting & Security
E-mail: pr@gmo-hs.com

QLife
E-mail: info@qlife.jp

GMO Internet
E-mail: pr@gmo.jp

GMO Hosting & Security, Inc.

QLife, Inc.

GMO Internet Inc.

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All information contained in this document was accurate at the time of release. Please be aware that information is subject to change with the passage of time and occurrence of future events.