HCA (NYSE: HCA) announced that it has received the 2005 Theodore
Roosevelt Workers' Compensation and Disability Management Award for the
private sector at a luncheon this week in Chicago.
Each year Risk & Insurance magazine, a weekly trade journal, presents
the award to companies that have exceptional employee injury prevention
and return-to-work programs. The award is named for President Theodore
Roosevelt, who signed the first federal workers' compensation
legislation. Companies are judged based on performance, teamwork,
communication and documented tangible results.
"HCA is honored to receive this prestigious award," said James D.
Hinton, Vice President of Risk and Insurance. "It is a reflection of the
hard work and dedication of all our employees who collectively have
improved the quality of care while reducing claims and losses associated
with patient management in our hospitals."
HCA has a proven, comprehensive workers' compensation program, which
includes extensive training and support for facility-based injury
coordinators. Using data from HCA's approximately 190 hospitals, the
company identifies facilities whose employee injury costs are not in
line with other HCA facilities and develops plans to improve their
performance. Because most injuries happen as caregivers move patients,
HCA provides training and invests in equipment to ease the physical
demands on employees in order to help prevent these injuries. The
program has achieved a 32% reduction in lost-time claims over the past
five years. Also, the average cost of HCA's lost-time claims has
increased only about 1% annually compared to the industry's annual
average of 8-12%.
HCA, which has about 190,000 employees, is the nation's leading provider
of healthcare services, composed of locally managed facilities that
include approximately 190 hospitals and about 90 outpatient surgery
centers in 23 states, England and Switzerland.
All references to "HCA" and the "company" contained in this press
release refer to HCA and its affiliates. The term "facilities" refers to
entities owned or operated by subsidiaries or affiliates of HCA.
"Safe Harbor" Statement under the Private Securities Litigation Reform
Act of 1995: Statements in this press release regarding HCA's business
which are not historical facts are "forward-looking statements" that
involve risks and uncertainties. For a discussion of such risks and
uncertainties, which could cause actual results to differ from those
contained in the forward-looking statements, see "Risk Factors" in the
Company's Annual Report or Form 10-K for the most recently ended fiscal
year.
Investors, Mark Kimbrough, +1-615-344-2688, or
Media, Jeff Prescott, +1-615-344-5708