NEW ORLEANS, March 1 /PRNewswire/ -- Tenet Louisiana today announced that
it has signed a new two-year hospital agreement with Humana Health Benefit
Plan of Louisiana, Inc. effective March 1, 2005. The agreement provides
individuals and families enrolled in Humana's commercial medical plans and
Humana Gold Plus plans (CMS MedicareAdvantage plans) access to all covered
inpatient and outpatient services at Tenet's five hospitals in New Orleans.
The five hospitals are: Kenner Regional Medical Center, Lindy Boggs Medical
Center, Meadowcrest Hospital, Memorial Medical Center and NorthShore Regional
Medical Center. Financial terms of the contract were not disclosed.
"This new contract means continued access to care for Humana members and a
strong, ongoing relationship between our two companies," said Robert L. Smith,
senior vice president of operations for the Tenet Texas-Gulf Coast Region.
"It also demonstrates that Tenet continues to maintain positive relationships
with its managed care partners, and establishes a cooperative, mutually
beneficial relationship with one of New Orleans' largest health plans."
"I am particularly pleased that Tenet Louisiana will now be available to
members of our senior product offerings including our Medicare HMO and our
newly introduced Medicare PPO," said Hassan Rifaat, M.D., president of Humana
Health Benefit Plan of Louisiana, Inc. "But equally important to small and mid
size employers faced with increasing health benefit costs, Humana offers
competitive and affordable choice in health benefits along with a
comprehensive, statewide hospital and physician network."
The addition of the five Tenet hospitals in New Orleans further
strengthens Humana's statewide provider medical network that now offers
members a choice of 81 participating hospital providers and more than 7,000
physicians throughout Louisiana.
About the hospitals
Kenner Regional Medical Center is a 203-bed acute care community hospital
located at the corner of West Esplanade and Loyola Avenue in Kenner, La. The
hospital has been serving the medical and health care needs of the Kenner and
the River parishes for nearly 20 years. Kenner Regional Medical Center's
services include a full-service emergency department, surgery department,
hyperbaric medicine and wound care, oncology services, a Level II Neonatal
Care Nursery and advanced orthopedic services. A 17-bed intensive care unit
supports the hospital's cardiology program, including a catheterization
laboratory and open-heart surgery program.
Lindy Boggs Medical Center has 172 beds and is located at 301 N. Jefferson
Davis Parkway in New Orleans, La. The hospital has been serving the medical
and health care needs of the New Orleans community since the 1920s. Specialty
areas include orthopedics, cardiology, Transplant Institute of New Orleans,
diagnostic services, emergency medicine and rehabilitation.
Meadowcrest Hospital is a 207-bed general medical and surgical acute care
facility located at 2500 Belle Chase Highway in Gretna, La. Meadowcrest
Hospital has been serving the medical and health care needs of the New Orleans
Westbank community since 1984. The hospital offers comprehensive medical
services, including cardiac catheterization, cardiovascular surgery, labor and
delivery, neurosurgery, outpatient services and women's services. Meadowcrest
also has a coronary intensive care unit, digestive care center and a Level III
neonatal intensive care unit.
Memorial Medical Center is a 347-bed tertiary care center located at 2700
Napoleon Avenue in New Orleans, La. The hospital has been serving the New
Orleans region since 1926. Specialty services include the New Orleans Cancer
Institute, which is a comprehensive community cancer program, the New Orleans
Surgery and Heart Institute, advanced labor and delivery services, a level
three regional Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, orthopedics, Diabetes Management
Center and Sleep Disorders Center.
NorthShore Regional Medical Center is a 174-bed acute care hospital
located on the north shore of Lake Pontchartrain in Slidell, La. NorthShore
is a full-service hospital that includes a 24-hour emergency room. The
hospital specializes in cardiac care, neonatal intensive care, pediatric
intensive care, physical therapy and rehabilitation and sleep disorders.
Tenet Texas-Gulf Coast, part of Tenet Healthcare Corporation (NYSE: THC),
is comprised of 18 acute care hospitals, five specialty facilities and related
services in Texas, Louisiana and Mississippi. Facilities include Houston
Northwest Medical Center, a 100 Top Hospital as rated by Solucient, a leading
health care information company, five hospitals that serve the greater Dallas
area and five hospitals that serve the greater New Orleans area.
About Humana Health Benefit Plan of Louisiana, Inc.
Humana Health Benefit Plan of Louisiana, Inc., part of Humana Inc.
(NYSE: HUM), is one of the largest health benefit plans in the New Orleans
market and the third largest in the state of Louisiana with approximately
150,000 commercial medical members and approximately 35,000 members in the
MedicareAdvantage program.
Humana Health Benefit Plan of Louisiana Inc. is the only health plan in
Louisiana to be awarded the Excellent Accreditation from NCQA twice in a row.
"Excellent" is the highest accreditation awarded by NCQA, an independent, not-
for-profit organization dedicated to measuring the quality of America's health
care.
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, 2003, 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 Humana Health Benefit Plan of Louisiana, Inc.
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CONTACT:
Brenda Lockey, +1-504-464-8755, or Susie
Mailloux, +1-469-893-6195, both of Tenet; or Ross McLerran of
Humana, +1-504-219-5101
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