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Nashville, Tennessee, (January 5, 2004) — Renal Care Group, Inc.
(NYSE:RCI) today announced that C. Thomas Smith and Peter J. Grua have
been appointed to the Company’s Board of Directors.
Mr. Smith, age 65, retired recently as president, chief executive officer
and a director of VHA, Inc., a position he held from 1991 until 2003.
VHA is a hospital cooperative based in Irving, Texas, that has more than
2,200 members in 48 states, representing approximately one-quarter of
U.S. community-owned hospitals. From 1977 through 1991, Mr. Smith was
president and a trustee of Yale-New Haven Hospital in New Haven, Connecticut.
From 1987 to 1992, Mr. Smith served as a trustee of the American Hospital
Association (“AHA”) and was chairman of AHA in 1991. From
1994 to 1998, he was chairman of the board of The Jackson Hole Group,
a strategic consulting forum, and from 1986 to 1999, he served on the
board of directors of Genentech, Inc. In 2003, he received AHA’s
Distinguished Service Award and was listed number four on Modern Healthcare’s “100
Most Influential People in Health Care” in 2002 and one of its “25
Most Influential Health Care Leaders in Last 25 Years” in 2001.
Mr. Smith currently serves on the board of directors of InPatient Consultants
Management, Inc., Kinetic Concepts and Neoforma. Mr. Smith holds a Bachelor
of Arts degree from Baylor University and a Masters in Business Administration
from the University of Chicago.
Mr. Grua, age 49, is a managing partner of HLM Venture Partners, based
in Boston, Massachusetts. Since joining HLM in 1992, Mr. Grua has been
involved in all aspects of HLM’s investment management business,
including serving as chief investment officer and portfolio manager of
its small cap growth stock portfolios. He also has been general partner
in all of its venture partnerships since 1994. Before joining HLM, Mr.
Grua was a managing director at the investment banking firm of Alex.
Brown and Sons, Inc., where he directed health care services and managed
care research. Prior to his tenure at Alex. Brown, Mr. Grua was a research
analyst at William Blair & Company and a strategy consultant at Booz,
Allen and Hamilton. Currently, Mr. Grua serves on the board of directors
of Health Care REIT (NYSE: HCN), FamilyMeds and Navix Radiology Systems.
Mr. Grua received his undergraduate degree from Bowdoin College and a
Masters of Business Administration from Columbia University.
William P. Johnston, chairman of Renal Care Group’s Board, commented, “Renal
Care Group’s Board of Directors will be enhanced significantly
by the addition of Peter Grua and Tom Smith. Their collective experience,
expertise and judgment will benefit our patients, associates and shareholders.”
Renal Care Group’s Board of Directors determined that Messrs.
Smith and Grua are independent directors for purposes of the New York
Stock Exchange’s listing standards. Mr. Smith will serve on the
Board’s Nominating & Governance and Audit & Compliance
committees. Mr. Grua will serve on the Board’s Audit & Compliance
and Compensation committees.
Renal Care Group is a specialized dialysis services company that provides
care to patients with kidney disease. The Company treats over 21,300
patients at more than 270 owned outpatient dialysis facilities, in addition
to providing acute dialysis services at more than 120 hospitals. Over
6,500 associates provide services across the Company’s 27-state
network. More information about Renal Care Group, Inc. can be found at
www.renalcaregroup.com.
Certain statements in this press release, particularly those of Mr.
Johnston, constitute “forward-looking statements” within
the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995.
These forward-looking statements, which are usually preceded by words
like expect, plan, intend, will and the like, include statements regarding
our future performance and any other statements that necessarily depend
on future events. These forward-looking statements reflect the Company’s
expectations and are based upon currently available information. These
forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties
and other factors that may cause actual results, performance or achievements
of Renal Care Group to differ materially from those expressed in or implied
by the forward-looking statements, including risks related to: dependence
on executive officers; changes in the Medicare and Medicaid programs;
payment reductions by private insurers, hospitals or managed care organizations;
changes in the health care delivery, financing or reimbursement systems;
risks related to the drug Epogen (EPO); compliance with health care and
other applicable laws; and the integration of acquired companies. These
and other factors affecting the Company are discussed in more detail
in Renal Care Group’s reports filed with the Securities and Exchange
Commission, including without limitation Renal Care Group’s most
recent annual report on Form 10-K and any quarterly reports on Form 10-Q
filed after that annual report. Copies of these filings are available
upon request from Renal Care Group.
Contact:
Renal Care Group, Inc., Nashville
Terry L. Proveaux, 615-345-5577
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