Norton Healthcare                                                  Anthem
234 East Gray Street                                                 13550 Triton Park Blvd.    
Louisville, KY 40202                                                  Louisville, KY 40223
www.nortonhealthcare.com                                     www.anthem.com  

For Norton Healthcare:                                         For Anthem:  

Brian Rublein                                                             Christi Lanier-Robinson   
Manager-Media Relations                                          Director-Public Relations     
(502) 629-8840                                                         (502) 889-3167        
(502) 332-0352 pager                                               (502) 396-9873 (cell)    
24/7 on-call media pager:
(502) 421-5712

NEWS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Norton Healthcare, Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield Reach Agreement On New Multi-Year Contract 

LOUISVILLE, KY. (Sept. 6, 2007): Norton Healthcare and Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield have reached agreement on a new multi-year agreement, effective Oct. 1.

The agreement includes all of Norton Healthcare’s operations, including the system’s four hospitals (Kosair Children’s Hospital, Norton Audubon Hospital, Norton Hospital and Norton Suburban Hospital); all outpatient and diagnostic centers; all Norton Healthcare primary care and specialty care physician practices; the system’s nine Norton Immediate Care Centers; and all other health care services.

Members who are enrolled in Anthem’s Blue Traditional, Blue Access (PPO), Blue Preferred (HMO and POS), Federal Employee HMO program and Medicare Select networks may continue to receive medical care at Norton Healthcare facilities at the highest level of benefits.

“We are delighted to have reached agreement with Anthem on a new multi-year contract,” said Michael W. Gough, senior vice president & chief financial officer for Norton Healthcare. “This ensures that Anthem members will continue to have full access to the broad range of quality health care services offered by Norton Healthcare across the Metro Louisville area and throughout Kentucky.”

“Continuing to offer our customers access to the largest network of providers is a top priority for the organization,” said Mike Lorch, vice president of health care management for Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield. “Norton Healthcare, as Louisville’s largest health care system, is a valued partner with Anthem to help our members meet their health care needs.”

About Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield in Kentucky
Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield in Kentucky is a subsidiary of WellPoint, Inc. (NYSE: WLP), an independent licensee of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association, which serves its members as the Blue Cross Licensee for California; the Blue Cross and Blue Shield licensee for Colorado, Connecticut, Georgia, Indiana, Kentucky, Maine, Missouri (excluding 30 counties in the Kansas City area), Nevada, New Hampshire, New York (in 10 New York City metropolitan counties and in selected upstate counties only), Ohio, Virginia (excluding the Northern Virginia suburbs of Washington, D.C.) and Wisconsin; and through UniCare. Additional information about Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield is available at www.anthem.com.

 

About Norton Healthcare

For more than a century Norton Healthcare’s faith heritage has guided its mission to provide quality health care to all those served. Today, Norton Healthcare is the Louisville area’s leading hospital and health care system (45 percent market share) and second largest private employer. The not-for-profit system – the largest in Kentucky and rated one of the top 100 integrated health care delivery systems in the country – includes four large hospitals in Louisville, eight Norton Immediate Care Centers, 9,500 employees, more than 200 employed medical providers at some 50 locations, and nearly 2,000 total physicians on its medical staff. Norton Healthcare serves the Greater Louisville metro area, including Southern Indiana and patients throughout Kentucky.

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Kosair Children's Hospital * Norton Audubon Hospital * Norton Hospital * Norton Suburban Hospital * Norton Brownsboro Hospital (coming 2009) * Norton Immediate Care Centers