HMOS GO TO AGENCY FOR FACE LIFT WILLIAM MORRIS TO PROMOTE CARE INDUSTRY IN HOLLYWOOD.

Byline: Evan Pondel Staff Writer

Tired of being cast as the villain, the American Association of Health Plans said Tuesday it has hired the legendary William Morris talent agency to improve the ailing image of HMOs on the big screen.

At a time when movies like Denzel Washington's ``John Q'' and Showtime's recent series ``Damaged Care'' have portrayed health insurers in a less-than-flattering light, AAHP is attempting to improve its relationship with screenwriters, directors and producers. Its transaction marks the first time the Washington, D.C.-based lobbying group, which represents around 1,000 health plans nationwide, has sought Hollywood's help for image improvement.

``We've spent a great deal of time working with the legislative community. Now, we're turning toward the entertainment industry,'' said Karen Ignagni, AAHP president and chief executive officer. ``And it's not about pitching a screenwriter, it's about building a bridge.''

With William Morris guiding AAHP, the association will not only attempt to doctor its image in film and television, Ignagni said she hopes power brokers and directors alike will utilize the group's access to health care information. Indeed, such expertise could certainly be tapped for a coming new doctor series, ``Presidio Med,'' portraying a physician challenging an HMO.

Terms of AAHP's deal with Beverly Hills-based William Morris remain undisclosed. Ignagni said ``its length will depend on its value in the community.'' Just like Capitol Hill, though, ``it'scustomary to engage important individuals and leaders to help build the communications bridge,'' she said.

Yet merely improving the health care industry's image doesn't necessarily improve current conditions. Dr. Joel Teplinsky, a Sherman Oaks-based plastic surgeon, acknowledges that changing the AAHP's image may improve its outward appearance, but the disarray will still exist below the surface.

``They (AAHP) are simply going out of their way to clean things up with a good public relations firm,'' he said. ``I'm sure some guy in Des Moines wouldn't be happy to know that an association that represents his health plan has hired an expensive Hollywood PR firm to change its image.''

Even so, the AAHP isn't going on the offensive to woo middle America. It's responding to the fact that nearly three times as many Americans watch the television drama ``ER'' as watch ``NBC Nightly News,'' Ignagni said. For that reason, the AAHP sees an opportunity to better educate more than 170 million American who are covered by health plans.

Though Teplinsky doesn't perceive hiring a talent agency as an altruistic practice, several health maintenance organizations are standing behind the AAHP's relationship with William Morris.

``With an ever-increasingly complex delivery system, it's important for AAHP to offer its expertise in Hollywood as people develop story lines,'' said Matthew Schiffgens, a spokesman for Oakland-based Kaiser Permanente. ``And the broader issue is that a vast majority of Americans take their cues and gather information from the entertainment medium.''

As the source of the entertainment industry's power often stems from content, some health care executives are looking forward to the influence the AAHP will have in Hollywood. When ``John Q'' hit theaters earlier this year, Lisa Haines, a spokeswoman for Woodland Hills-based Health Net, said the movie would have been more tactful if it focused attention on a burgeoning population of people who go uninsured.

``Now AAHP has an opportunity to get a seat at the table,'' Haines said. ``This relationship can add real value to the entertainment industry.''

But while some insurers advocate the AAHP's presence in Hollywood, others remain cautiously optimistic. Michael Chee, a spokesman for Thousand Oaks-based Blue Cross of California, said bolstering the health care industry's value in film and television is not a priority.

``We're really no part of their (AAHP) agenda,'' Chee said. ``From our perspective, this is not a major part of our own agenda, either. Our primary concern is providing quality insurance for the underinsured.''

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Denzel Washington's film ``John Q'' had some worrying the health care industry was getting typecast as a villain.