FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

As announced earlier, MVP President and CEO, David W. Oliker will be the president and CEO of the combined company.

Lisa Brubaker, Preferred Care senior vice president and chief operating officer will assume the newly created position of executive vice president, Rochester and government programs.

Thomas Combs, Preferred Care senior vice president and chief financial officer will become executive vice president and chief financial officer of MVP.

Oliker also announced several current MVP executive vice presidents will have the following roles in the combined company:

-- David Field will be the executive vice president and chief operations officer;

-- Dennis Allen, M.D, will be executive vice president and chief medical officer;

-- Scott Averill will be executive vice president and chief marketing and sales officer;

-- Denise Gonick, Esq. will be executive vice president and chief legal officer.

These executive vice president assignments reflect a blending of the talent of the two organizations," Oliker said. This is a leadership team that will make MVP the perfect example of a well-managed and successful, regional health benefits company, one that will be a 'leading player' in the Northeast," Oliker said.

John Urban, the current president and CEO of Preferred Care, will be an advisor to Oliker on a variety of issues.

I am pleased and gratified that Lisa Brubaker will be promoted to a key position leading operations in the Rochester market and government programs, and that Tom Combs will take on the critical role of chief financial officer for the combined companies," Urban said.

Combs has been CFO at Preferred Care since joining the company in 1994. During that time, in addition to management of all financial activities, he has at various times had responsibility for provider services and claims administration for Preferred Care. He is a graduate of Union College, Schenectady, N.Y., and earned a Master of Business Administration (MBA) degree from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania.

Lisa Brubaker has been senior vice president and chief operations officer for Preferred Care since 2002. She has also served as executive vice president of Preferred Health Network, executive director of the Monroe County Medical Society and executive director of the Genesee Valley Medical Foundation. She is a graduate of Iowa State University and earned her master's in health service administration from the University of Michigan School of Public Health.

David Field has served as a member of the MVP senior management team since 1998. Field received undergraduate and masters degrees in accounting from Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah. Field has held multiple positions of responsibility at Aetna Health Plans, including senior officer for the Georgia, Tennessee and Alabama tri-State managed care markets. He also has held multiple positions of responsibility at Cigna Health Plans.

Dennis Allen, M.D. is executive vice president of medical affairs and chief medical officer. He oversees all of MVPs clinical operations including quality improvement, pharmacy, and care coordination. He has been with MVP since 1997. A family practice physician by training, Dr. Allen began his career in medicine as a private family practitioner in the Binghamton, N.Y. area. He has Board Certification from the American Board of Family Practice and the American Board of Medical Management.

Scott Averill, has been executive vice president of marketing and chief marketing officer of MVP since 2003. He has an MBA degree from Southern New Hampshire University, Manchester N.H., and a masters degree in human resources from Pepperdine University, Malibu, Calif. Prior to joining the staff of MVP Health Care, Averill was vice president of marketing and sales for Health Alliance Plan, a subsidiary of the Henry Ford Health System in Detroit, Mich.

Denise Gonick is executive vice president of legal affairs and chief counsel of MVP Health Care. She directs the companys legal affairs related to regulatory compliance, provider network development and contracting, and government programs. Gonick is a graduate of Albany Law School of Union University, and earned a B.A. degree from Hofstra University, Hempstead, N.Y. She is a member of the American Health Lawyers Association and the New York State Bar Association.