For immediate release: March 14, 2005

For more information contact:

Lori L. Henshey

Communications Specialist

West Virginia Hospital Association

304/353-9747

Fax: 304/344-9745

Lhenshey@wvha.org

WEST VIRGINIA HOSPITAL ASSOCIATION NAMES CAH NETWORK EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

CHARLESTON, WV – The West Virginia Hospital Association (WVHA) has named Dianna Iobst Executive Director of the newly established 18-member Critical Access Hospital (CAH) Network.

The purpose of the Network is to promote a collaborative approach for improving patient care in CAHs while optimizing available resources. The Network will work collaboratively to share resources, access technical assistance, improve performance and quality of care, promote economies of scale, and improve access to healthcare services in rural West Virginia.

A CAH is a hospital that is certified to receive cost-based reimbursement from Medicare to improve its financial performance, thereby reducing hospital and service closures. CAH hospitals are authorized under the Medicare Rural Hospital Flexibility Program, which provides special payment and benefits for certain hospitals in rural areas. In West Virginia, CAH hospitals receive technical assistance and federal funding support through the West Virginia Bureau of Public Health Division of Rural Health Services, in partnership with the WVHA.

WVHA President and CEO Steven J. Summer, in commenting on the appointment of Diana Iobst as the new CAH Network Executive Director, said, “Dianna brings a wealth of experience and background in healthcare. Her leadership in working with hospital CEOs and their senior staff represents an opportunity to improve access to healthcare services in rural communities throughout the state.”

As Executive Director, Iobst, a resident of Beckley, will manage CAH Network Operations. Iobst holds a BS in Communications from Trevecca University in Nashville, TN, and an MBA from St. Louis University in Missouri. She has nearly 20 years of healthcare experience, most recently in the field of disease management and preference sensitive care with Health Dialog out of Boston, MA. Iobst has also worked for United Health both in the field and corporate offices.

“I am very excited about joining the WVHA,” Iobst said. “I think the creation of the CAH Network shows the WVHA’s commitment to CAH facilities and it also represents a significant commitment on the part of the 18 hospitals to work together in a collaborative fashion.”

The WVHA, an association for hospitals and health systems, is a not-for-profit statewide organization representing 74 acute and specialty hospitals and health systems across the continuum of care. The WVHA supports its members in achieving a strong, healthy West Virginia by providing leadership in healthcare advocacy, education, information and technical assistance, and by being a catalyst for effective change through collaboration, consensus building and a focus on desired outcomes.