Curative Health Services Announces Settlement with the California Depa

    Business Editors/Health/Medical Writers

    HAUPPAUGE, N.Y.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jan. 4, 2005--Curative Health Services, Inc., (Nasdaq: CURE), announced today that the Company and certain named individual plaintiffs have entered into a Settlement Agreement with the California Department of Health Services ("DHS") in connection with the suits filed against DHS challenging the reimbursement methodology for blood clotting factor implemented in June 2004.
    Under the terms of the Settlement Agreement, DHS has agreed to process, on a priority basis, all pending and future Medi-Cal, California Children's Services and Genetically Handicapped Persons Program claims submitted by the Company. In addition, DHS has agreed to expedite its efforts to implement electronic billing and payment for blood clotting factor claims.
    "We are very pleased with the conclusion of this litigation and the priority processing of our claims," said President and Chief Executive Officer, Paul F. McConnell. "The priority processing should result in a reduction of our California related days sales outstanding to approximately 60 days and a meaningful improvement in the Company's cash flow."

    About Curative Health Services

    Curative Health Services, Inc. seeks to deliver high-quality care and clinical results for patients with serious or chronic medical conditions.
    The Specialty Infusion business, through its national footprint of Critical Care Systems' local pharmacy branches, provides products, related clinical services and disease management support to patients with chronic or severe conditions such as hemophilia and other bleeding disorders, chronic or severe infections, gastrointestinal illnesses that prohibit oral digestion and other severe conditions requiring nutritional support, immune system disorders, cancer and susceptibility to respiratory syncytial virus.
    The Wound Care Management business is a leader in the area of disease management specializing in chronic wound care management. The Wound Care Management business manages, on behalf of hospital clients, a nationwide network of Wound Care Center(R) programs that offer a comprehensive range of services for treatment of chronic wounds.

    For more information, visit www.curative.com.

    This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors, which may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of the Company, or industry results, to be materially different from any future results, performance, or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Factors that might cause such differences include, but are not limited to, risks associated with our acquisition of Critical Care Systems including, but not limited to, integration risks and costs, risks of client retention, and risks associated with the operations of the acquired business, as well as risks in our current businesses such as the substantial level of indebtedness incurred in connection with the acquisition of Critical Care Systems, the potential for termination or non-renewal of a material number of contracts, an inability to obtain new contracts, changes in government regulations relating to the Company's Specialty Infusion or Wound Care Management businesses, changes in the regulations governing third party reimbursements for the Company's services, manufacturing shortages of products sold by Curative's Specialty Infusion business, the impact of competitive products and pricing, the ability to maintain pricing arrangements with suppliers that preserve margins, the seasonality and variability of operating results, the Company's ability to implement its strategies and achieve its objectives and the other risks and uncertainties detailed in the Company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Readers of this release are referred to the Company's Registration Statement on Form S-4 filed July 29, 2004, as amended, and its Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended September 30, 2004, for further discussion of these and other risk factors that could affect future results.

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CONTACT: Curative Health Services Kathy Lynch, 631-232-7091 klynch@curativehealth.com

KEYWORD: NEW YORK INDUSTRY KEYWORD: BANKING PHARMACEUTICAL MEDICAL SOURCE: Curative Health Services, Inc.

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