Aetna and Shawnee Mission Medical Center Sign Multi-Year Contract Agreement

New contract provides member access to Shawnee Mission Medical
Center facilities and physicians
KANSAS CITY, Kan.--(Business Wire)--
Aetna (NYSE: AET) and Shawnee Mission Medical Center announced
today they have reached a new contract agreement for the hospital and
its affiliated physician and outpatient facilities. Aetna members will
be able to receive services on an in-network basis at Shawnee Mission
Medical Center facilities effective May 1, 2008.

"We are pleased to be able to offer our members access to the
health care services provided by Shawnee Mission Medical Center
physicians and medical facilities," said Gary Hamm, network vice
president for Aetna in Kansas. "The addition of Shawnee Mission
Medical Center provides our members in the Kansas City area with
greater choice and convenience."

The health care facilities and physicians included in the new
contract agreement include:

-- Shawnee Mission Medical Center;

-- Shawnee Mission Surgery Center;

-- Shawnee Mission Physicians Group;

-- Shawnee Mission Urgent Care;

-- Shawnee Mission Express Care at Johnson County Community
College; and

-- Shawnee Mission Open MRI.

For a complete list of Shawnee Mission Medical Center programs and
services, visit ShawneeMission.org.

"We are pleased to have the opportunity to serve our community
members who are part of the Aetna network," said Samuel H. Turner,
Sr., hospital President and CEO. "As Johnson County's largest health
care provider, Shawnee Mission Medical Center's physicians, nurses and
associates are eager to begin serving Aetna members with the same
level of high-quality care our hospital is known for. We enjoy
positive partnerships with all of our payers and I look forward to
developing the same relationship with Aetna."

Aetna has approximately 4,968 physicians and 40 hospitals
participating in its Kansas network, serving local membership of
approximately 176,000.

About Aetna

Aetna is one of the nation's leading diversified health care
benefits companies, serving approximately 36.7 million people with
information and resources to help them make better informed decisions
about their health care. Aetna offers a broad range of traditional and
consumer-directed health insurance products and related services,
including medical, pharmacy, dental, behavioral health, group life and
disability plans, and medical management capabilities and health care
management services for Medicaid plans. Our customers include employer
groups, individuals, college students, part-time and hourly workers,
health plans, governmental units, government-sponsored plans, labor
groups and expatriates. www.aetna.com

About Shawnee Mission Medical Center:

Shawnee Mission Medical Center (SMMC) is a 383-bed facility with
nearly 20,000 inpatient admissions and more than 195,000 outpatient
admissions annually. SMMC has the busiest emergency department in
Johnson County, the area's first accredited Chest Pain Emergency
Center, a nationally recognized Center for Women's Health and delivers
more babies each year than any other hospital in the metropolitan
area. SMMC employs more than 2,700 local residents and supports an
exceptional staff of 700 physicians representing 50 medical
specialties, the largest medical staff in Kansas City.

www.ShawneeMission.org

Aetna
Rachelle Cunningham, 925-948-4983
CunninghamR@aetna.com
or
Shawnee Mission Medical Center
Shannon Cates, 913-789-5565
Shannon.cates@shawneemission.org

Copyright Business Wire 2008