(Palm Harbor, Florida, July 28, 2006) – ppoNEXT, one of the premier and largest directly contracted PPO networks in the country, announced it has added 28 more providers in the state of Florida, effective June 1, 2006. The completed contract with HCA West Florida brings to ppoNEXT 15 well-known community hospitals (see a complete listing below), and 13 surgery centers. The HCA affiliated facilities located in West Florida are vital to the communities they serve and offer quality medical care close to home. These highly skilled facilities have been recognized for providing medical excellence by a number of organizations such as the Joint Commission on the Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO), Solucient Top 100 Hospitals, US News & World Report Top Hospitals, and Healthgrades, just to name a few. Not only are they recognized leaders in healthcare, but they are civic leaders in their communities as well. Locally, hospital managers and employees are actively involved in volunteering and contributing to a variety of organizations such as the American Heart Association, American Cancer Society, Habitat for Humanity, Autism Awareness, American Diabetes Association, and a host of local civic programs. The HCA West Florida network is committed to improving the health of the communities they serve by performing at a higher standard for quality, safety and patient satisfaction.

HCA West Florida hospitals joining ppoNEXT network:

Hospital	City	No. of licensed beds
Blake Medical Center	Bradenton	383
Brandon Regional Medical Center	Brandon	327
Community Hospital	New Port Richey	392
Doctor’s Hospital of Sarasota	Sarasota	168
Edward White Hospital	St. Petersburg	167
Englewood Community Hospital	Englewood	100
Fawcett Memorial Hospital	Port Charlotte	238
Gulf Coast Hospital	Fort Myers	120
Largo Medical Center	Largo	256
Northside Hospital & Tampa Bay Heart Institute	St. Petersburg	288
Oak Hill Hospital	Brooksville	204
Regional Medical Center Bayonet Point	Hudson	290
South Bay Hospital	Sun City Center	112
Southwest Florida Regional Medical Center	Fort Myers	400
St. Petersburg Medical Center	St. Petersburg	219

"This recent expansion of the ppoNEXT network is a prime example of our ongoing commitment to ensure the best coverage possible to our clients," according to Lynn Littleton, ppoNEXT Vice President, Network Development. "With our latest contracting efforts completed, and our continued promise to deliver customer satisfaction, we now offer more choices of providers than ever before."

About ppoNEXT:
ppoNEXT is a leading provider of nationwide healthcare management and network services. With its focus on providing consumers with the utmost in quality healthcare, ppoNEXT selects only providers and facilities of uncompromising quality and excellence. Based in Dallas, Texas, ppoNEXT offers clients access to over 450,000 physicians, over 3,700 hospitals, and thousands of leading ancillary care providers in key markets such as the Midwest, Texas, California, and Florida. ppoNEXT serves self-funded employers, third party administrators, insurance carriers, HMOs, and various managed care firms. ppoNEXT also offers disease management, as well as utilization review and care management services through its subsidiary, NEXTcare Management.

For more information about ppoNEXT, please contact:
Aaron Means
Corporate Marketing
214.267.3358