HARRISBURG and LEHIGHTON, Pa., Feb. 24 /PRNewswire/ -- HealthAmerica and HealthAssurance have signed agreements effective January 1, 2005 with the two hospitals of the Blue Mountain Health System, Gnaden Huetten Memorial Hospital and Palmerton Hospital. As a result of the agreements, the hospitals join the insurers’ provider network serving members in Carbon, Monroe, Schuylkill, Lehigh, and Northampton counties.
“We are pleased to have established these important agreements with Gnaden Huetten Memorial Hospital and Palmerton Hospital,” said Robert L. Dawson, president and CEO of HealthAmerica and HealthAssurance. “These two hospitals have long histories of providing quality care to the people in their communities. Our members will be pleased that they are now part of the network.”
HealthAmerica received approval to expand its service area in the Lehigh Valley and southeastern Pennsylvania in 2003. These agreements bring Gnaden Huetten Memorial Hospital and Palmerton Hospital into HealthAmerica’s growing provider network, which also includes St. Luke’s Hospital System and the Lehigh Valley Physician Hospital Association, comprising Lehigh Valley Hospital and Lehigh Valley Hospital-Muhlenberg.
“We are pleased to join HealthAmerica and HealthAssurance’s network as they expand their service area,” said Robert Clark, president and CEO of Blue Mountain Health System. “We place great importance on making quality health care available to residents in our region. Being a part of HealthAmerica’s network will allow us to reach out to more people in the communities we serve.”
About HealthAmerica and HealthAssurance
HealthAmerica Pennsylvania, Inc., has a 29-year record in managed care. HealthAmerica, HealthAssurance Pennsylvania, Inc., and affiliate companies cover over 735,000 members in Pennsylvania and Ohio through HMO, POS, PPO, Medicaid, and Medicare Advantage plans. In addition, HealthAmerica earned an “Excellent” Accreditation for its HMO plan and HealthAssurance earned an “Excellent” Accreditation for the HealthAssurance POS by the National Committee for Quality Assurance, an independent, non-profit organization dedicated to measuring the quality of America’s health care. With corporate offices in Pittsburgh and Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, HealthAmerica and HealthAssurance provide managed health care products and services to over 11,000 employers in Pennsylvania and Ohio. HealthAmerica and its affiliates employ over 1,500 people in Pennsylvania. For more information, visit HealthAmerica’s website at http://www.healthamerica.cvty.com/ .
About Blue Mountain Health System
Blue Mountain Health System, whose mission is to promote, maintain and restore the good health of all the people in the communities we serve, is the partnership between Palmerton Hospital located in Palmerton and Gnaden Huetten Memorial Hospital located in Lehighton. Palmerton Hospital, a full-service, acute-care community hospital, is licensed for 70 acute care beds. Gnaden Huetten Memorial Hospital, also a full-service acute-care community hospital, is licensed for 111 beds. Blue Mountain Health System also offers The Summit, a 91-bed nursing and convalescent center; Blue Mountain Home Health Care; an adult day care; an assisted living center; Comprehensive Wound Healing Center; inpatient behavioral health services; Next Step, an acute inpatient rehabilitation unit; and two fitness facilities. Together the two hospitals provide a continuum of care with a full range of comprehensive health care services to the citizens of Carbon County and parts of Monroe, Schuylkill, Northampton and Lehigh counties.
HealthAmerica and HealthAssurance
CONTACT: Kendall Marcocci, Director of Communications of HealthAmericaand HealthAssurance, +1-717-540-6746, or kmarcocci@cvty.com ; or DianeChalker, Director of Public Affairs of Blue Mountain Health System,+1-610-377-7148, or dchalker@ghmh.org
Web site: http://www.healthamerica.cvty.com/