W. Randolph Smith to Retire from Tenet

    Business Editors/Health/Medical Writers

    DALLAS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--March 14, 2005--Tenet Healthcare Corporation (NYSE:THC) announced today that W. Randolph Smith, a veteran hospital industry executive, will retire from the company on March 31. Smith's departure comes as Tenet's successful strategy to divest 27 non-core hospitals, which he led, nears completion.
    "It is impossible to calculate Randy Smith's contribution to Tenet and its predecessor companies for more than two decades," said Trevor Fetter, Tenet's president and chief executive officer. "Over the years, he has held management responsibility over virtually every one of our hospitals. We have benefited from his wisdom, experience and leadership in all aspects of our business, and he has handled some of our toughest assignments with great skill. All of us have enjoyed his company as a much-admired colleague with a real passion for delivering quality health care."
    Before his most recent assignment, Smith, 56, had been president of Tenet's former Western Division. Prior that he had been executive vice president of Tenet's former Central-Northeast Division and, before that, its Eastern Division.
    He was instrumental in Tenet's acquisition of several major hospitals and their integration into the company. These included the Memorial-Mercy hospitals in New Orleans, Saint Louis University Hospital, Georgia Baptist Hospital (now Atlanta Medical Center) and several hospitals in Florida. He also led the development of two new hospitals in Tennessee and Texas which Tenet opened last year.
    He joined the company in 1995 when American Medical International was merged into National Medical Enterprises to form Tenet.
    At AMI, Smith's positions included executive vice president, operations; senior vice president and chief administrative officer; and interim chief financial officer. Earlier in his career, Smith served as executive director of Brookwood Medical Center in Birmingham, Ala., which is now a Tenet hospital.
    Smith has been active in health care and educational organizations, including a term as chairman of the Federation of American Hospitals and as a member of the Business-Higher Education Forum.
    He has a bachelor of arts degree in business administration from Furman University in Greenville, S.C., and a master's degree in health care administration from Duke University.
    Tenet Healthcare Corporation, through its subsidiaries, owns and operates acute care hospitals and related health care services. Tenet's hospitals aim to provide the best possible care to every patient who comes through their doors, with a clear focus on quality and service. Tenet can be found on the World Wide Web at www.tenethealth.com.

    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, 2004, 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.

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KEYWORD: TEXAS INDUSTRY KEYWORD: MEDICAL MANAGEMENT CHANGES SOURCE: Tenet Healthcare Corporation

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