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Tenet South Florida and Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Florida Reach Accord on Contracts With 15 South Florida Hospitals

Posted on: Thursday, 30 June 2005, 21:01 CDT

Tenet South Florida and Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Florida and its subsidiary Health Options Inc. have agreed to extend a participation agreement which otherwise would have terminated June 30, 2005 covering Tenet's 15 hospitals in Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach Counties. The extension runs through July 15, 2005, and both sides express confidence that a contract should result.

"I am pleased that we have reached this agreement to assure that Blue Cross and Blue Shield members in Florida will have uninterrupted access to care at our hospitals for themselves and their families," said Don S. Steigman, Senior Vice President of Tenet South Florida.

BCBSF negotiates contracts on behalf of approximately 413,000 members in the three South Florida counties, in a wide variety of health plans including Medicare and traditional indemnity insurance.

"While we have details to work out over the next several days, we are confident of the results and pleased to have reached an agreement with Tenet that will benefit our South Florida area HMO and PPO members," said Barry B. Schwartz, M.D., BCBSF vice president, network management. "Our focus throughout every negotiating process is to reach an agreement that provides our members with access to affordable health care choices."

Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Florida is a leader in Florida's health industry. BCBSF and its subsidiaries serve more than 7.1 million people. Since 1944, the company has been dedicated to meeting the diverse needs of all those it serves by offering an array of choices. BCBSF is a not-for-profit, policyholder-owned, tax-paying mutual company. Headquartered in Jacksonville, Fla., BCBSF is an independent licensee of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association, an association of independent Blue Cross and Blue Shield companies. For more information concerning BCBSF, please see its Web site at www.bcbsfl.com.

Tenet South Florida, a part of Tenet Healthcare Corporation's (NYSE: THC) Florida-Alabama region, comprises 14 acute care hospitals, serving three South Florida counties with approximately 4,650 beds and numerous related health care services. The region includes Delray Medical Center, the No. 1-rated hospital for cardiac services in Florida for 2005, as ranked by HealthGrades, a national health care quality company, as well as three hospitals that have earned the Distinguished Hospital Award for Clinical Excellence and 5-star rankings - Delray Medical Center, Palm Beach Gardens Medical Center and Florida Medical Center. Tenet South Florida hospitals that have also earned 5-star rankings include North Ridge Medical Center, Hollywood Medical Center, West Boca Medical Center, Good Samaritan Medical Center, Palmetto General Hospital, Cleveland Clinic Hospital, Hialeah Hospital, North Shore Medical Center, Coral Gables Hospital and St. Mary's Medical Center.

Tenet South Florida hospitals are Cleveland Clinic Hospital, Coral Gables Hospital, Delray Medical Center, Florida Medical Center, Good Samaritan Medical Center, Hialeah Hospital, Hollywood Medical Center, North Ridge Medical Center, North Shore Medical Center, Palm Beach Gardens Medical Center, Palmetto General Hospital, Parkway Regional Medical Center, St. Mary's Medical Center and West Boca Medical Center. The region also includes once specialty hospital in Pinecrest Rehabilitation Hospital. Together, they provide care for more patients than any other South Florida provider. Tenet's hospitals aim to provide the best possible care to every patient who comes through their doors, with a clear focus on quality and service. Tenet South Florida can be found on the World Wide Web at www.tenetsouthflorida.com.

Some of the statements in this release may constitute forward-looking statements. Such statements are based on our current expectations and could be affected by numerous factors and are subject to various risks and uncertainties discussed in our filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including our annual report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended Dec. 31, 2004, our quarterly reports on Form 10-Q and periodic reports on Form 8-K. Do not rely on any forward-looking statement, as we cannot predict or control many of the factors that ultimately may affect our ability to achieve the results estimated. We make no promise to update any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of changes in underlying factors, new information, future events or otherwise.

Source: Business Wire

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