LifePoint Hospitals to Acquire Havasu Surgery Center

BRENTWOOD, Tenn. -- LifePoint Hospitals, Inc. has signed a definitive agreement to acquire Havasu Surgery Center in Lake Havasu City, Ariz. The company also announced that its Havasu Regional Medical Center had entered into a partnership with the physicians affiliated with Havasu Surgery Center to operate a new venture between Havasu Regional Medical Center and Havasu Surgery Center.

Havasu Surgery Center, with annual revenues of approximately $5.5 million, has been a leading provider of outpatient surgical services in Lake Havasu City since opening in 2001. Havasu Regional Medical Center, a 138-bed acute care hospital with annual revenues of approximately $93 million, currently provides comprehensive inpatient and outpatient services to the approximately 55,000 individuals residing in Lake Havasu City. The company expects to complete the transaction in the third quarter of 2006; terms of the transaction were not announced.

In commenting on the announcement, William Carpenter III, president and chief executive officer of LifePoint Hospitals, said, "We are very excited about our pending acquisition of the Havasu Surgery Center and the opportunity to form an alliance with the local physician owners. This strategic partnership in Lake Havasu City demonstrates Lifepoint Hospitals' ongoing commitment to developing stronger relationships with local physicians while working together to meet the community's needs through appropriate service expansion. We are confident that a strong partnership between our hospital and local physicians will enhance the quality of care to patients, promote positive employee relationships and benefit the greater Lake Havasu City community."

LifePoint Hospitals, Inc. is a leading hospital company focused on providing healthcare services in non-urban communities. Of the company's 53 hospitals, 49 are in communities where LifePoint Hospitals is the sole community hospital provider. LifePoint Hospitals, Inc.