NASHVILLE, Tenn., Feb. 2 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- HCA (NYSE: HCA) today announced that Jack O. Bovender, Jr., Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, has entered into a written trading plan in accordance with the guidelines set forth in Rule 10b5-1 under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. Rule 10b5-1 permits an officer or director of a public company to adopt a written trading plan at a time when the officer or director is not in possession of material, nonpublic information that provides for the execution of transactions in company stock.

Mr. Bovender's 10b5-1 trading plan provides for the exercise and sale of up to 420,660 stock options at a designated price over the period beginning April 26, 2006 and ending March 31, 2007. The options to be exercised under the plan are scheduled to expire on their 10-year anniversary in 2009. Mr. Bovender has advised the Company that he is taking this action for estate planning purposes.

The Company also announced that Mr. Bovender and his wife, Barbara, have personally gifted $1 million of HCA stock held by them to the Duke University Fuqua School of Business. The gift will be matched by Duke and will fund scholarships for minority students in Fuqua's Health Sector Management Program. Mr. Bovender is an alumnus of Duke and sits on Fuqua's Board of Visitors. After completion of Mr. Bovender's gift and assuming consummation of all transactions contemplated by his 10b5-1 trading plan, Mr. Bovender will continue to beneficially own approximately 2.0 million shares of HCA common stock, including vested and unvested employee stock options and restricted shares.

SOURCE HCA

CONTACT: Investors, Mark Kimbrough, +1-615-344-2688, or
Media, Jeff Prescott, +1-615-344-5708,
both of HCA