UnitedHealthcare, a UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH) company, and HCA Inc.
(NYSE:HCA), today announced a new long-term nationwide agreement. The
agreement provides United members access to HCA facilities, covers
members into 2011 and recognizes HCA's and United's ongoing commitment
to quality and accessibility.
"Our renewed relationship with HCA will provide quality, affordable
health care for the people we serve," said David Wichmann, president and
chief operating officer of UnitedHealthcare. "We arrived at an agreement
that will advance quality, ease administration and maintain
affordability. While the past few months have been challenging for many
of our members, we are pleased that this new contract will offer not
only long-term stability for customers, but also reinforces our
commitment to quality for our members."
The new contract extends access to over 150 of HCA's hospitals and over
100 diagnostic and treatment centers across the country. It covers
UnitedHealthcare and all commercial affiliates - including Mid-Atlantic
Medical Services, PacifiCare, and Neighborhood Health Partnership - and
Medicare business, including Secure Horizons. Effective immediately,
United members have access to all HCA-owned facilities in Denver, South
Florida and Tampa, including HealthONE imaging centers. The new
agreement will also allow access for UnitedHealthcare members in four
new markets by the end of 2006, including Kansas City, Mo., the Florida
Panhandle, Nevada and Frankfort, Ky.
"HCA offers the country's most extensive and diverse network of
hospitals, diagnostic and treatment centers. The patients and employers
in the communities we serve prefer to have access to these facilities,"
said Richard M. Bracken, President and Chief Operating Officer of HCA.
"We are pleased to have reached an agreement with United on terms that
allow us to provide high quality, technologically-advanced and
compassionate care."
About HCA
HCA Inc. is a holding company whose affiliates own and operate hospitals
and related health care entities. The term "affiliates" includes direct
and indirect subsidiaries of HCA Inc. and partnerships and joint
ventures in which such subsidiaries are partners. At September 30, 2006,
these affiliates owned and operated 172 hospitals, 95 freestanding
surgery centers and facilities which provided extensive outpatient and
ancillary services. Affiliates of HCA Inc. are also partners in joint
ventures that own and operate seven hospitals and nine freestanding
surgery centers which are accounted for using the equity method. The
Company's facilities are located in 21 states, England and Switzerland.
About UnitedHealthcare
UnitedHealthcare (www.unitedhealthcare.com)
provides a full spectrum of consumer-oriented health benefit plans and
services, helping approximately 25 million individual consumers
nationwide achieve improved health and well-being through various health
service systems. UnitedHealthcare arranges access to quality, affordable
care with more than 500,000 physicians and care professionals and 4,600
hospitals across America. UnitedHealthcare is one of the businesses of
UnitedHealth Group, a diversified Fortune 50 health and well-being
company.
"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.
UnitedHealthcare
Tyler Mason, 714-226-3530
tyler.mason@phs.com
or
HCA
Jeff Prescott, 615-344-5708
jeff.prescott@hcahealthcare.com