MEDICAL CENTER HOSPITAL, BLUE CROSS AND BLUE SHIELD OF TEXAS REACH AGREEMENT, ENCHANCING NETWORK ACCESS FOR BCBSTX MEMBERS

May 8, 2008, Odessa, TX — Medical Center Hospital in Odessa and Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Texas (BCBSTX) announced that they have reached an agreement to reinstate their relationship. Under the new, multi-year agreement, Medical Center Hospital-Odessa will again be a network provider in the BCBSTX BlueChoice PPO and HMO Blue Texas networks, effective May 12, 2008.

“Following a series of discussions, both parties agreed that it was in the best interest of Medical Center Hospital and Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Texas members for us to work through the difficult issues and bring stability and collaborative support to the community,” said William Webster, Chief Executive Officer, Medical Center Hospital-Odessa.

“This agreement allows us to achieve one of our primary goals for our members in Odessa — providing access to quality care in a cost effective manner," said Shannon Stansbury, vice president, Network Management, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Texas. “We are pleased to have finalized an agreement that reflects that goal and again provides Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Texas members with in-network benefits for services provided through Medical Center Hospital, which means lower out-of-pocket costs for members who use health care delivered through Medical Center Hospital.”

Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Texas — the only statewide, customer-owned health insurer in Texas — is the largest provider of health benefits in the state, working with nearly 40,000 physicians and 400 hospitals to serve 3.8 million members in all 254 counties. Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Texas is a division of Health Care Service Corporation (HCSC), the country’s largest customer-owned health insurer and fourth largest health insurer overall. HCSC is a Mutual Legal Reserve Company and an Independent Licensee of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association.

Back to the Newsroom