Tenet Healthcare Corporation (NYSE: THC) announced today that Spalding Regional Medical Center has been selected to the company’s 2007 Circle of Excellence. This is the third consecutive year that Spalding Regional has won the award.            

The Circle of Excellence honors those Tenet hospitals that have performed at the highest levels in the past year in the areas of quality, service and operation performance. Key factors involved in the process include patient, physician and employee satisfaction scores, clinical quality scores and financial performance.             

	Spalding Regional CEO John Quinn, COO Chris Locke and CNO Kathy Mitchell with Tenet Healthcare Corporation leaders.

“The hard work and dedication of the employees at Spalding Regional Medical Center made 2006 a great year for the hospital,” said Stephen Newman, M.D., Tenet’s chief operating officer. “I’m proud of all that they accomplished and am thrilled to honor them with Tenet’s Circle of Excellence Award.”            

Dr. Newman also praised the hospital executive team, led by chief executive officer John Quinn, for their hard work and leadership in the past year. “Health care is a business that requires dedication, passion and strong leadership skills to achieve positive results. The executive team at Spalding Regional Medical Center performed incredibly well in 2006, and I congratulate them on their successes.”            

Spalding Regional Medical Center opened a new $12 million women’s center and intensive care unit that added four new ICU beds, six observation beds and 10 private rooms to the women’s center. The new women’s center also added a special entrance and courtyard.            

Spalding Regional Medical Center was also recognized, in part, for its excellent financial and clinical quality performance. The medical center delivered evidence-based medicine that consistently achieved a quality score of more than 90 percent, according to Tenet’s internal metrics.