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John Lovelace Wins Leadership Award from MHPA

PITTSBURGH (November 27, 2011) – In recognition of his outstanding contributions to the Medicaid population, John Lovelace, Chief Program Officer for Community Care Behavioral Health Organization and President of UPMC for You, has been awarded the Joy Wheeler Leadership Award by the Medicaid Health Plans of America (MHPA).

Community Care manages mental health as well as drug and alcohol services for approximately 700,000 members throughout Pennsylvania who are covered by Medical Assistance. UPMC for You is the fastest growing Medical Assistance program in western Pennsylvania and was ranked the No. 1 Medicaid plan in Pennsylvania and No. 10 in the nation by the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA).

"Given the sweeping changes in the Medicaid health plan industry, we are fortunate to have a leader such as John Lovelace," said Thomas L. Johnson, President and CEO of MHPA. "John is a partner who understands how to control costs while improving access and delivery of quality health care to Medicaid members."

Lovelace serves as the Program Chair for MHPA, is vice chair of the MHPA Center for Best Practices and chairs its Health Insurance Exchange Work Group and its Task Force on Serious Mental Illness.

"It is a great honor to receive this award, particularly in that it recognizes the many contributions and achievement of Joy Wheeler, MHPA’s first president," said Lovelace. "The Medicaid programs across the country play a vital role in improving health care for millions of Americans, and MHPA has a critical role in advocating for the consumers, the state programs and health plans."

In addition to his role with UPMC for You, Lovelace also oversees the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) of UPMC Health Plan, known as UPMC for Kids, as well as the UPMC for Life Specialty Plan, which serves dual-eligible Medicaid and Medicare members.

MHPA is the leading trade association solely focused on representing Medicaid health plans. MHPA represents both non-profit and for-profit health plans, ranging from large multi-state insurance corporations to small community-based health plans.

About Joy Wheeler

In 1996, Ms. Wheeler, a former emergency room nurse and one of the first women to work as a health care management consultant, started FirstGuard Health Plan, a subsidiary of Model Cities Health Corporation of Kansas City, in response to the state of Missouri’s plans to privatize health care. Ms. Wheeler has grown the company from zero to annual revenue exceeding $230 million. FirstGuard is recognized for caring, compassionate service and ethical business practices.

About Community Care

Community Care, a nonprofit, tax-exempt recovery-focused behavioral health managed care organization headquartered in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania manages mental health as well as drug and alcohol services primarily for Medical Assistance recipients. Part of UPMC, Community Care was incorporated in 1996 with a mission to improve the health and well-being of the community through the delivery of effective and accessible behavioral health services.

About UPMC Health Plan

UPMC Health Plan, the second-largest health insurer in western Pennsylvania, is owned by UPMC, one of the nation's top-ranked health systems. 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 Plan (SNP), Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP), Medical Assistance, behavioral health, employee assistance, and workers' compensation products and services to nearly 1.6 million members. UPMC Health Plan’s local provider network includes UPMC as well as community providers, totaling more than 125 hospitals and more than 11,500 physicians throughout Pennsylvania and parts of Ohio, West Virginia, and Maryland. For more information, visit www.upmchealthplan.com.

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