Aetna Adds Riverside Health System To PPO Network in Virginia Beach-Newport News Area.

RICHMOND, Va. -- Aetna (NYSE: AET) announced today it has signed a new agreement with Riverside Health System that adds Riverside's four hospitals to the company's preferred provider organization (PPO) network in the Virginia Beach and Newport News, Va. area.

Under the agreement, members of Aetna's PPO, point-of-service and consumer-directed plans will be able to receive covered services, at in-network rates, at Riverside Regional Medical Center, Riverside Behavioral Health Center, Riverside Walter Reed Hospital, Riverside Tappahannock Hospital and the Rehabilitation Institute of Virginia.

In addition, Aetna expects to finalize contracts by the end of the year with approximately 100 hospital-based physicians in the health system.

"The Riverside Health System delivers a wide range of valued health care services to our members in the Peninsula, Middle Peninsula and Northern Neck areas," said Bill Stout, Aetna's head of network operations for Virginia, Maryland and Washington, D.C. "We're very happy that we were able to reach an agreement that enables our members to access those services on an in-network basis."

Aetna has approximately 337,000 members in Virginia. The company's Richmond-area network includes 69 hospitals, 879 primary care physicians and 1.955 specialists.

"We are very pleased that we are now able to offer full hospital services to Aetna policy holders in the region, and we look forward to being there when these families need us," said Riverside President Richard J. Pearce.

As one of the nation's leading providers of health care, dental, pharmacy, group life, disability and long-term care benefits, Aetna puts information and helpful resources to work for its approximately 13.6 million medical members, 11.6 million dental members, 8.3 million pharmacy members and 13.3 million group insurance members to help them make better informed decisions about their health care and protect their finances against health-related risks. Aetna provides easy access to cost-effective health care through a nationwide network of more than 646,000 health care professionals, including over 385,000 primary care and specialist doctors and 3,908 hospitals. For more information, please visit www.aetna.com. (Figures as of September 30, 2004)