FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--June 28, 2005--Richard J. Powers, M.D., accomplished neonatologist and renowned clinical quality researcher, joins Pediatrix Medical Group (NYSE:PDX) as Medical Director of the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) for Good Samaritan Hospital in San Jose, California.

Active in the neonatal community, Dr. Powers has presented at a variety of national conferences and published research discussing neonatal respiratory conditions and therapies, prevention and treatment of NICU infection, comparisons of neonatal analgesic therapies and perinatal quality improvement. He is the immediate Past President of the California Association of Neonatologists, and has been a member of its Board of Directors for the past seven years.

"For me, quality starts with excellence in clinical care which also encompasses good communication and parent satisfaction," said Dr. Powers. "I believe in fostering a supportive, family-centered NICU environment that enhances the relationships with the parents and referring physicians in the community."

Dr. Powers' interest in quality improvement has led to his participation in numerous regional and national collaborative projects for premature newborns including California's Perinatal Quality Care Collaborative (CPQCC), where he helped develop toolkits and workshops to improve outcomes throughout the State.

From 1998 to 2004, Dr. Powers lead two focus groups in the Vermont Oxford National Quality Improvement Collaborative for hospital-borne infection and pain management. He also served as Medical Director for Regions 2 and 3 of the Regional Perinatal Programs of California (RPPC), a network of public and private health care providers within 11 geographic areas to enhance the level of healthcare for pregnant women and their babies.

"I joined Pediatrix because of its deep commitment to improving neonatal health and its comprehensive approach to caring for premature and sick infants," said Dr. Powers.

He recently co-authored two peer-reviewed articles with investigators from the Pediatrix Medical Group on reduction of hospital-borne infection in the NICU, published in the Journal of Perinatology's June and July 2004 issues. Pediatrix researchers tap into the largest neonatal outcomes database in the world, Pediatrix's Research Data Systems, to conduct research and publish literature relating to neonatal and maternal fetal medicine. Researchers continuously strive to improve clinical quality and advance evidence-based medicine by analyzing information on a patient population of more than 375,000 patients and 5 million patient days.

A neonatologist for more than 18 years, Dr. Powers recently served as Associate Director at Alta Bates-Summit Medical Center in Berkeley. He was the ECMO Program Director and Medical Director of Quality Improvement at Children's Hospital & Research Center at Oakland, and was also the Medical Director for the Eden Medical Center's NICU in Castro Valley.

Dr. Powers earned his undergraduate degree from St. Louis's Washington University and graduated from University of Missouri's School of Medicine. He completed his pediatric internship and residency at Children's Hospital of Los Angeles and his neonatology fellowship at Phoenix's Children's and St. Joseph's Hospitals in Phoenix, Arizona.

About Pediatrix

Pediatrix was founded in 1979. Pediatrix physicians and advanced nurse practitioners are reshaping the delivery of maternal-fetal and newborn care, identifying best demonstrated processes and participating in clinical research to enhance patient outcomes and provide high-quality, cost-effective care. Its neonatal physicians provide services at more than 220 NICUs, and through Obstetrix, its perinatal physicians provide services in many markets where Pediatrix's neonatal physicians practice. Combined, Pediatrix and its affiliated professional corporations employ more than 790 physicians in 32 states and Puerto Rico. Pediatrix is also the nation's largest provider of newborn hearing screens and newborn metabolic screening. Additional information is available at http://www.pediatrix.com.

About Good Samaritan Hospital

Good Samaritan Hospital is one of the first five hospitals in the U.S. certified by the Joint Commission as a Primary Stroke Center. Voted by Bay Area Parent magazine as the "Bay Area's Best Place to Have a Baby," Good Samaritan Hospital has also been awarded "2003 Emergency Department of the Year" by the California Emergency Physicians Medical Group.

Good Samaritan Hospital, the fourth largest hospital in Silicon Valley, opened in 1965 as a general acute care hospital. Today, the hospital provides both acute care and tertiary services, including cardiology, cardiovascular surgery, oncology, obstetrics and gynecology, pediatric care, behavioral health, a shock program, a Primary Stroke Center and bariatric surgery. In addition to its main campus in San Jose, Good Samaritan has a separate Mission Oaks campus in Los Gatos.

MULTIMEDIA AVAILABLE: http://www.businesswire.com/cgi-bin/mmg.cgi?eid=4919677

CONTACT: Pediatrix Medical Group, Fort Lauderdale
Bob Kneeley, 954-384-0175, x-5300
bob_kneeley@pediatrix.com
or
Good Samaritan Hospital
Leslie Kelsay, 408-358-8407
leslie.kelsay@hcahealthcare.com

SOURCE: Pediatrix Medical Group