
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: THURSDAY, July 6, 1995                   TAG: 9507060054
SECTION: BUSINESS                    PAGE: B-8   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: SANDRA BROWN KELLY STAFF WRITER
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Short

CARILION HEALTH PLANS OKS DEAL WITH QUALCHOICE

Carilion Health Plans of Roanoke, which represents 14 hospitals and 500 physicans, said Wednesday it has agreed to become a provider for QualChoice of Virginia, a managed care organization established by the University of Virginia.

QualChoice is attempting to build a statewide network of hospitals and physicians so that it can compete for managed care contracts with the other health maintenance organizations, the company's CEO Jay V. Garriss said.

QualChoice began operation in January and has more than 15,000 enrollees in the Charlottesville area. In May, it added Central Virginia Health Network which represents five Richmond-area hospitals and more than 400 physicians.

The company said it will begin marketing its HMO in the Roanoke area in the fall.

It then will join five other companies - Partners National Health Plans of North Carolina Inc., Southern Health, Trigon Blue Cross Blue Shield's Healthkeepers, Mid-Atlantic Medical Services Inc. and Heritage Health - that already are selling or planning to sell HMOs in the Roanoke area.

Carilion Health Plans is an affiliate of Carilion Health System, which owns Community and Roanoke Memorial hospitals in Roanoke and also provides a Southwest Virginia network for the Trigon Blue Cross Blue Shield and Heritage HMOs.

by CNB