AmeriHealth Insurance companies appoints New Jersey and Delaware management teams.

MT. LAUREL, N.J.--(HealthWire)--March 20, 1996--G. Fred DiBona Jr., chairman and chief executive officer of AmeriHealth, has announced the management teams for the AmeriHealth companies in New Jersey and Delaware.

AmeriHealth Insurance Company of New Jersey is the first full service health insurance company to be licensed in the state of New Jersey since 1990. The company's offices are located in Mt. Laurel and Iselin, N.J.

AmeriHealth Insurance Company Inc. also serves the state of Delaware with offices in Wilmington. Both join AmeriHealth HMO to offer a full range of managed care and traditional products to employers in New Jersey and Delaware.

The company's management teams include:

Daniel J. Pedriani as senior vice president for corporate development. Pedriani will be responsible for all aspects of AmeriHealth's operations in New Jersey, Delaware and future markets.

Richard J. Gilfillan, M.D., a medical doctor with an MBA from the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School, has been named senior vice president and general manager of AmeriHealth New Jersey. Gilfillan will direct sales, marketing, provider contracting and service for the New Jersey market.

Jay Moorhead, vice president and general manager for AmeriHealth operations in the state of Delaware will be responsible for day-to-day operations and strategic corporate planning for all of the company's business development in the First State.

Linda M. Taylor, vice president of marketing for AmeriHealth New Jersey and Jeffrey D. Powell, vice president of marketing for AmeriHealth Delaware. They will be in charge of all commercial sales and marketing efforts in their respective states.

"We are excited about this highly skilled senior management team and certain their experience will benefit current and future customers in New Jersey and Delaware," DiBona said.

Pedriani, a certified public accountant, has more than 24 years of management experience in international business, mergers, acquisitions and finance. Prior to joining AmeriHealth, he was senior vice president and chief financial officer of Rhone Poulenc Rorer's (RPR) biotech subsidiary, Applied Immune Sciences, in Santa Clara, Calif.

Before that, he was vice president and controller for RPR's worldwide headquarters in Collegeville, Pa.

A graduate of Pennsylvania State University, Pedriani also held a number of executive financial positions during 11 years with John Wanamaker and five years with Coopers and Lybrand in Philadelphia before joining RPR.

Gilfillan's 20-year career includes experiences in virtually all phases of health care from managed care positions with Blue Cross and Blue Shield of New Jersey to being a family practitioner in Winchendon, Mass.

For the past four years, he has served as senior vice president and medical director of Keystone Health Plan East and chief medical officer for Philadelphia-based Independence Blue Cross and its subsidiaries.

Gilfillan is a graduate of Georgetown University School of Medicine. He also received an MBA from the Wharton School.

Moorhead has more than a decade of management experience in the managed care industry in marketing and program administration for both Independent Practice Association (IPA) and Staff Model Health maintenance organizations (HMOs). Prior to AmeriHealth, Moorhead was vice president for Delaware Valley HMO.

Before that, he was vice president for marketing with Keystone Health Plan East from 1991-1994. During his tenure, the plan grew from 3,000 to over 365,000 commercial members, making it the fastest growing IPA Model HMO in the country during this period.

He is a graduate of Michigan State University.

Taylor brings more than 20 years of health care marketing experience to AmeriHealth. Most recently, she was director of member marketing nationally for Aetna Health Plans. She also held marketing management positions with Freedom Health Care, Keystone Health Plan East and Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Delaware.

Prior to being named vice president of marketing for AmeriHealth, Powell was director of broker retention for Independence Blue Cross. Before that, he served as marketing sales manager and senior account executive for Keystone Health Plan East.

He is a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania.

AmeriHealth Insurance Company of New Jersey offers a full range of managed care and traditional health insurance products to all employers in New Jersey. The company provides a variety of HMO and point of service products, the exciting new Personal Choice and traditional and comprehensive major medical insurance. AmeriHealth also handles third party administration of benefits.

CONTACT: AmeriHealth, Mt. Laurel

Jim Panyard, 609/778-6545

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Guerin & Kapnek Communications Inc., Willow Grove, Pa.

Wendy Kapnek or Dava Guerin, 215/784-9060