94-07-28 New Health Alliance Appoints President

             NEW HEALTH ALLIANCE APPOINTS PRESIDENT

     CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va., July 28 -- Jay V. Garriss has been named
the first president and chief executive officer of the Blue Ridge
Health Alliance, a for-profit corporation formed in February by the
University of Virginia and the Health Services Foundation to
organize a regional health care delivery system.
     Garriss was the vice president and chief marketing officer for
QualChoice Health Plan of Cleveland, Ohio, a managed care
organization and subsidiary of University Hospitals of Cleveland,
until his appointment here earlier this month. He has been in the
employee benefits industry since 1969 and is a fellow in the
International Society of Certified Employee Benefit Specialists.
     "The Blue Ridge Health Alliance is aimed at building a
regional network of doctors and hospitals committed to improving
the quality, accessibility and cost-effectiveness of health care,"
Garriss said.
     "The alliance will offer employers and other third party
payers competitively priced health care plans that do two important
things: allow patients to select physicians of their choice and
preserve physicians' freedom to make medical decisions."
     Garriss holds an undergraduate degree in finance from the
University of the State of New York and a master's degree in public
policy from Regent University in Virginia Beach.
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[Submitted by:  (cab2j@dmt03.mcc.virginia.edu)
               29 Jul 94 14:04:09 EDT]