Lehigh Valley Health Network Joins UPMC for You and UPMC for Kids Provider Networks

PITTSBURGH, Jan. 6, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Lehigh Valley Health Network is now a participating provider with UPMC Health Plan's top-rated Medical Assistance program and Children's Health Insurance Plan (CHIP) program.

Effective immediately, all UPMC for You (Medical Assistance) and UPMC for Kids (CHIP) members will have access to all Lehigh Valley Health Network facilities and physicians.

Lehigh Valley Health Network is one of the nation's most respected health providers, offering comprehensive care in 95 clinical specialties. Its regional campuses include Lehigh Valley Hospital – Cedar Crest in Salisbury Township, Pa.; Lehigh Valley Hospital – Muhlenberg in Bethlehem, Pa.; and Lehigh Valley Hospital – 17^th Street in Allentown, Pa. In addition to its nine community health centers and two retail health clinics, Lehigh Valley will add more than 590 primary care and specialty physicians to the UPMC for You and UPMC for Kids networks.

The network also includes Children's Hospital at Lehigh Valley Hospital, the only children's hospital in the Lehigh Valley. It provides care in 28 specialties and general pediatrics.

"The addition of Lehigh Valley Health Network is great news for our members who live in the Lehigh Valley," said John Lovelace, President of UPMC for You. "This offers them an outstanding health care system and outstanding physicians and will help us to continue to grow in this region."

UPMC for You was rated the No. 1 Medical Assistance plan in Pennsylvania by the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) in 2013-14, an honor it has earned nine times in the past 10 years.

UPMC for Kids is one of the fastest-growing CHIP programs in the state. With UPMC for Kids, no child needs to be without exceptional health insurance. Regardless of family income, children under age 19 who are not covered by private health insurance and not eligible for or enrolled in Medical Assistance, can enroll in UPMC for Kids.

Lehigh Valley Health Network is nationally recognized for its care and services through awards and accreditation from organizations that include U.S. News & World Report, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid, the National Cancer Institute Community Cancer Centers Program, and many others.

UPMC for You and UPMC for Kids are part of UPMC Health Plan, the second largest health insurer in western Pennsylvania. UPMC Health Plan is owned by UPMC (University of Pittsburgh Medical Center) one of the nation's top-ranked health systems.  As part of an integrated health care delivery system, UPMC Health Plan partners with UPMC and community network providers to improve clinical outcomes as well as the health of the greater community. 

About UPMC Health Plan
UPMC Health Plan, the second-largest health insurer in western Pennsylvania, is owned by UPMC, an integrated global health enterprise. The integrated partner companies of the UPMC Insurance Services Division – which includes UPMC Health Plan, UPMC WorkPartners, LifeSolutions (EAP), UPMC for You (Medical Assistance), and Community Care Behavioral Health – offer a full range of group health insurance, Medicare, Special Needs, CHIP, Medical Assistance, behavioral health, employee assistance, and workers' compensation products and services to nearly 2.2 million members. Our local provider network includes UPMC as well as community providers, totaling more than 135 hospitals and more than 11,500 physicians throughout Pennsylvania and parts of Ohio, West Virginia, and Maryland. For more information, visit www.upmchealthplan.com.

SOURCE UPMC Health Plan