Tenet Comments on Plea in San Diego Case

    Business Editors/Health/Medical Writers

    DALLAS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jan. 5, 2005--Tenet Healthcare Corporation (NYSE:THC) announced today that it understands Mina Nazaryan, the former associate administrator of Alvarado Hospital Medical Center, a facility owned by a Tenet subsidiary, has entered into a plea agreement with the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of California to plead guilty to one count of conspiracy in an ongoing federal trial in San Diego. The continuing defendants in the case are the hospital, a Tenet subsidiary and Barry Weinbaum, Alvarado's former chief executive officer.
    Tenet issued the following statement in response to this development:
    "Nazaryan's plea is hers alone. It will not affect our decision to vigorously defend the hospital and its chief executive officer. As we have said before, Tenet believes that its physician relocation policies were appropriate and legal under federal laws and regulations."
    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, 2003, 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.

--30--MTB/la*

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KEYWORD: CALIFORNIA TEXAS INDUSTRY KEYWORD: INSURANCE MEDICAL SOURCE: Tenet Healthcare Corporation

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