Tenet Hospitals Awarded 257 CIGNA HealthCare Quality Designations

These quality designations are based on outcomes for treatment of 29 surgical procedures and medical conditions. The patient outcomes data are based partially on a hospital's Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Hospital Compare measures, Leapfrog Patient Safety Measures, mortality and complications rates. The designations indicate superior outcomes and nearly 65 percent of CIGNA HealthCare's network hospitals receive a quality designation for treatment of at least one condition.

"We are very proud that so many of our hospitals have again received quality designations that are based on the latest evidence-based care," said Stephen L. Newman, M.D., Tenet's chief operating officer. "This affirms our commitment to improving the quality of care provided at our hospitals. In fact, 86 percent of Tenet's hospitals received a CIGNA HealthCare quality designation. We also increased the total number of quality designations at our hospitals from 214 in 2008 to 257 in 2009, a 20 percent increase."

In addition to the quality designations, 26 Tenet hospitals received 76 Center of Excellence (COE) designations for 2009 from CIGNA HealthCare, improving year over year COEs by 26 percent. These COE designations recognize hospitals meeting CIGNA HealthCare's high standards for quality and efficiency.

Dr. Newman added, "Tenet applauds CIGNA's leadership within the industry for its comprehensive quality program. Last year we worked with CIGNA to develop an innovative pay-for-performance program that links to these COE designations. Our hospitals that achieved COE designations receive incremental revenue as a result of the high-quality care they provide to our patients."

"We are pleased that Tenet shares our goal to strengthen quality and provide individuals with information that can help them make health care decisions," adds Dr. Richard Salmon, national medical director for CIGNA HealthCare. "We applaud their efforts to work with us to secure these designations and improve care delivery."

The 42 Tenet hospitals receiving the quality and Center of Excellence designations for 2009 are:

*Indicates CIGNA HealthCare Center of Excellence Designation

Alabama:

-- Brookwood Medical Center, Birmingham -- Angioplasty, Coronary Artery Bypass Graft* (CABG), Disc Surgery*, Total Hip Replacement, Total Knee Replacement and Stroke

California:

-- Desert Regional Medical Center, Palm Springs -- Angioplasty*, CAGB, Cardiac Catheterization, Caesarean Section, Laparoscopic Gallbladder Removal, Gastric Bypass, Heart Attack, Total Hip Replacement*, Total Abdominal Hysterectomy, Total Knee Replacement*, Adult Pneumonia and Stroke

-- Doctors Medical Center, Modesto -- Laparoscopic Gallbladder Removal, Head and Neck Endarterectomy and Vaginal Delivery

-- Fountain Valley Regional Hospital and Medical Center, Fountain Valley -- CABG*, Caesarean Section, Laparoscopic Gallbladder Removal, Gastric Bypass, Heart Attack, Heart Failure, Total Hip Replacement*, Total Abdominal Hysterectomy, Adult Pneumonia, Stroke and Vaginal Delivery

-- Lakewood Regional Medical Center, Lakewood -- Angioplasty*, CABG, Laparoscopic Gallbladder Removal, Heart Failure, Total Hip Replacement* and Stroke

-- Los Alamitos Medical Center, Los Alamitos -- Caesarean Section*, Colon Surgery, Heart Failure, Total Abdominal Hysterectomy, Total Knee Replacement*, Stroke and Vaginal Delivery*

-- Placentia-Linda Hospital, Placentia -- Total Hip Replacement*

-- San Ramon Regional Medical Center, San Ramon -- Caesarean Section, Colon Surgery, Disc Surgery and Vaginal Delivery

-- Sierra Vista Regional Medical Center, San Louis Obispo -- Caesarean Section, Adult Craniotomy, Disc Surgery, Laparoscopic Gallbladder Removal, Total Hip Replacement, Spinal Fusion* and Vaginal Delivery

-- Twin Cities Community Hospital, Templeton -- Caesarean Section, Colon Surgery, Laparoscopic Gallbladder Removal, Total Hip Replacement, Total Knee Replacement* and Vaginal Delivery

Florida:

-- Coral Gables Hospital, Coral Gables -- Laparoscopic Gallbladder Removal, Heart Attack, Total Hip Replacement, Total Knee Replacement, Adult Pneumonia and Stroke

-- Delray Medical Center, Delray Beach -- Angioplasty, Cardiac Pacemaker Implant, Colon Surgery, GI Hemorrhage, Heart Attack, Heart Failure, Total Hip Replacement, Irregular Heartbeat, Total Knee Replacement, Adult Pneumonia, Spinal Fusion and Stroke

-- Good Samaritan Medical Center, West Palm Beach -- Heart Attack*, Heart Failure*, Total Knee Replacement, Adult Pneumonia, Spinal Fusion* and Vaginal Delivery

-- Hialeah Hospital, Hialeah -- Caesarean Section, Colon Surgery, Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), Laparoscopic Gallbladder Removal, Gastric Bypass*, Heart Attack, Heart Failure, Total Abdominal Hysterectomy, Adult Pneumonia, Stroke and Vaginal Delivery

-- North Shore Medical Center, Miami -- Caesarean Section, Heart Attack, Heart Failure, Adult Pneumonia, Stroke and Vaginal Delivery

-- North Shore Medical Center -- FMC Campus, Ft. Lauderdale -- Angioplasty, Laparoscopic Gallbladder Removal, Heart Attack, Heart Failure, Total Hip Replacement, Adult Pneumonia and Stroke

-- Palm Beach Gardens Medical Center, Palm Beach Gardens -- Angioplasty*, CABG*, Cardiac Catheterization*, Cardiac Pacemaker Implant*, Laparoscopic Gallbladder Removal, Head and Neck Endarterectomy, Heart Attack*, Heart Failure*, Heart Valve Replacement*, Total Hip Replacement, Total Knee Replacement, Adult Pneumonia, Spinal Fusion* and Stroke*

-- Palmetto General Hospital, Hialeah -- Angioplasty, Caesarean Section, Laparoscopic Gallbladder Removal, Gastric Bypass, Heart Failure, Total Hip Replacement, Total Abdominal Hysterectomy, Total Knee Replacement, Stroke and Vaginal Delivery

-- St. Mary's Medical Center, West Palm Beach -- Caesarean Section, Adult Craniotomy, Heart Attack, Spinal Fusion and Stroke

-- West Boca Medical Center, Boca Raton -- Caesarean Section, Laparoscopic Gallbladder Removal, Heart Attack*, Heart Failure*, Total Hip Replacement, Adult Pneumonia* and Vaginal Delivery

Georgia:

-- Atlanta Medical Center, Atlanta -- Gastric Bypass*

-- North Fulton Regional Hospital, Roswell -- Heart Attack, Heart Failure, Adult Pneumonia and Stroke

-- South Fulton Medical Center, East Point -- Heart Attack and Heart Failure

-- Spalding Regional Medical Center, Griffin -- Heart Failure and Stroke

Missouri:

-- Des Peres Hospital, St. Louis, Mo. -- Angioplasty*, CABG*, Total Hip Replacement, Total Knee Replacement, Adult Pneumonia and Spinal Fusion*

-- Saint Louis University Hospital, St. Louis -- Heart Failure

Nebraska:

-- Creighton University Medical Center, Omaha, Neb. -- Angioplasty and Heart Failure

North Carolina:

-- Central Carolina Hospital, Sanford -- Laparoscopic Gallbladder Removal

-- Frye Regional Medical Center, Hickory -- CABG*, Caesarean Section*, Colon Surgery, Disc Surgery*, Laparoscopic Gallbladder Removal*, Gastric Bypass, Head and Neck Endarterectomy*, Total Hip Replacement*, Total Knee Replacement*, Spinal Fusion* and Vaginal Delivery*

Pennsylvania:

-- Hahnemann University Hospital, Philadelphia -- Colon Surgery, Laparoscopic Gallbladder Removal, Heart Failure, Adult Pneumonia and Stroke

South Carolina:

-- East Cooper Regional Medical Center, Mount Pleasant -- Disc Surgery* and Spinal Fusion*

-- Piedmont Medical Center, Rock Hill -- Angioplasty, Total Hip Replacement, Total Knee Replacement, Spinal Fusion and Stroke

Tennessee:

-- Saint Francis Hospital, Memphis -- Angioplasty*, CABG*, Gastric Bypass, Head and Neck Endarterectomy*, Total Hip Replacement*, Total Knee Replacement* and Stroke

Texas:

-- Centennial Medical Center, Frisco -- Vaginal Delivery*

-- Cypress Fairbanks Medical Center, Houston -- Caesarean Section, Laparoscopic Gallbladder Removal*, Gastric Bypass*, Adult Pneumonia and Vaginal Delivery

-- Doctors Hospital at White Rock Lake, Dallas -- CABG*, Caesarean Section* and Vaginal Delivery

-- Houston Northwest Medical Center, Houston -- Angioplasty*, CABG*, Cardiac Catheterization, Colon Surgery*, Laparoscopic Gallbladder Removal, Gastric Bypass, Heart Attack, Heart Failure, Total Abdominal Hysterectomy, Adult Pneumonia, Spinal Fusion*, Stroke and Vaginal Delivery

-- Lake Pointe Medical Center, Rowlett -- Laparoscopic Gallbladder Removal* and Vaginal Delivery*

-- Nacogdoches Medical Center, Nacogdoches -- Angioplasty, Total Abdominal Hysterectomy* and Spinal Fusion*

-- Park Plaza Hospital, Houston -- Caesarean Section*, Gastric Bypass*, Heart Failure, Total Abdominal Hysterectomy*, Total Knee Replacement*, Stroke and Vaginal Delivery

-- Providence Memorial Hospital, El Paso -- Caesarean Section*, Colon Surgery*, Disc Surgery, Laparoscopic Gallbladder Removal, Heart Failure, Total Hip Replacement, Total Abdominal Hysterectomy, Total Knee Replacement*, Adult Pneumonia, Transurethral Prostatectomy, Spinal Fusion* and Vaginal Delivery

-- Sierra Medical Center, El Paso -- Angioplasty, CABG, Caesarean Section*, Colon Surgery, Adult Craniotomy*, Disc Surgery*, Laparoscopic Gallbladder Removal, Heart Failure, Total Hip Replacement, Total Abdominal Hysterectomy, Total Knee Replacement, Adult Pneumonia, Spinal Fusion*, Stroke and Vaginal Delivery

Tenet Healthcare Corporation is a health care services company whose subsidiaries and affiliates own and operate acute care hospitals, ambulatory surgery centers and diagnostic imaging centers. Tenet's hospitals and related health care facilities are committed to providing high quality care to patients in the communities they serve. For more information, please visit www.tenethealth.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 year ended Dec. 31, 2008, 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: Tenet Healthcare Corporation

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