Siemens Introduces Timesaving Repair E-Form

Company Enhances Online@SHI™ Website for Added Customer Convenience

PISCATAWAY, NJ, November 14, 2002 - To further facilitate convenient business interaction and strengthen communication between Siemens Hearing Solutions and its customers, the company has added a unique Repair e-Form to its Online@SHI™ e-business website. The new timesaving Repair e-Form provides all registered Online@SHI members with an easy and efficient way to enter their repair orders electronically.

"We originally launched Online@SHI in 2000. Then in 2001, we introduced our unique e-Form and became the hearing industry's first and only e-business website to offer custom hearing instrument ordering," said William Lesiecki, director of software solutions at Siemens. "Now, we are expanding the benefits of our innovative site, enabling our customers to quickly and easily submit repair orders online."

With the new Repair e-form, sending hearing instruments to Siemens for repair now requires only a few simple steps online, and eliminates the need to complete and submit paperwork. Key benefits of the e-Form include:

Ease-of-Use

- The new Repair e-Form works in a manner similar to Siemens' e-Form for new custom hearing instrument orders. Registered site members can access the convenient Repair e-Form and the Siemens ordering center 24 hours a day, seven days a week, by logging on to Online@SHI via www.onlineshi.com from any computer with Internet access. Users are prompted to enter the required product and repair information. Once the completed form is submitted, all the information related to the order is stored in the Siemens database. Users can then print the confirmation page and send it with the hearing instrument to Siemens for repair.

Quicker Order Processing - The printed confirmation form features a barcode that identifies the specific hearing instrument order that was entered online. When the barcode is scanned, Siemens Hearing Solutions' repair system will search for the related order and retrieve and display all the pertinent information.

Order accuracy

- With the Repair e-Form, customers receive online verification of the original hearing instrument order simply by entering the serial number. Certain repair option selections are automatically validated for accuracy, ensuring that the selections are valid prior to submitting the entry therefore eliminating the possibility of orders being rejected due to inaccurate or incomplete selections.

About Online@SHI
Key elements of Siemens' Online@SHI website include the easy and efficient procedure for ordering custom hearing instruments and repairs using e-Form. The website's Hearing Mall section provides customers with a simple, timesaving way to order stock items including Siemens BTE hearing instruments, batteries, and ALDs. In addition, Online@SHI members also have convenient 24/7 access to their Siemens account, enabling them to manage all of their account information, track the status of custom orders and repairs, make payments, verify warranties, order marketing materials and more. An educational Tip of the Week is sent to registered members about fitting, programming, patient counseling, troubleshooting, and marketing ideas.

Other benefits for members of Online@SHI include exclusive offers and discounts, up-to-the-minute news updates, and product information from Siemens. There is no cost involved - registration is free. For more information about Online@SHI, log onto www.siemens-hearing.com/pro, or contact a Siemens Sales Representative at (800) 766-4500.

About Siemens Hearing Solutions

Headquartered in Piscataway, New Jersey, Siemens Hearing Solutions (Siemens Hearing Instruments, Inc.) designs, engineers and manufactures advanced digital, basic digital, digitally programmable, and advanced conventional hearing instruments in all custom (In-the-Canal, In-the-Ear, and Completely-in-the-Canal) and Behind-the-Ear (BTE) models.
The Company also offers audiological software, and a wide array of assistive listening devices (ALDs) such as amplified phones, which help improve the quality of life of the hearing impaired. Visit www.siemens-hearing.com for more information.

The Company operates as a subsidiary of Siemens Medical Solutions of Siemens AG (NYSE: SI), one of the largest suppliers to the healthcare industry in the world. The company is renowned for its innovative products, including imaging systems for diagnosis, therapy equipment for treatment, hearing instruments, and critical care and life support systems, as well as a wide array of information technology and data management solutions that optimize workflow and increase efficiency in hospitals, clinics and doctors' offices. The company is known as the premiere health information application service provider processing nearly 137 million transactions daily and managing more than 86 terabytes of data - twice the information volume of the Library of Congress. More information can be found at www.siemensmedical.com.