PITTSBURGH – For more than a decade, Highmark has played a valuable role in helping some of our country’s greatest athletes stay healthy as well as return to competition as quickly as possible. The importance of Highmark’s role is highlighted this year with Highmark Inc. serving as the Official Health Insurance Supplier of Team USA during the Rio 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games, kicking off Aug. 5 and Sept. 7 respectively, and Allegheny Health Network acting as one of only six designated Official U.S. Olympic Regional Medical Centers across the country.

Since 2005, Highmark has provided health insurance to the United States Olympic Committee as well as some 1,000 athletes a year training and competing in more than 40 sports. This coverage is provided to the athletes locally, across the country and abroad – in the Olympic and Paralympic Games and in both the summer and winter.

Highmark recently extended its agreement to remain the Official Health Insurance Supplier to the USOC through 2020.

“We are proud that Highmark has been trusted to insure thousands of Team USA athletes as they strive to achieve gold at the Olympic and Paralympic Games,” said Tim Constantine, Highmark executive vice president of commercial markets.

“Like the athletes who aspire to excellence on and off the field of play, Highmark does the same in its mission to deliver high-quality health care outcomes and solutions to our members.”

Coverage offered to the USOC and athletes is similar to plans available to Highmark’s individual and group customers. Through AHN’s seven hospitals and 17 orthopaedic rehabilitation centers across western Pennsylvania and eastern Ohio, Team USA athletes are able to receive advanced testing, treatment and rehabilitation in settings close to home.

For highly specialized and advanced levels of orthopaedic care, AHN’s facilities offer innovative surgeries and minimally invasive procedures that help athletes recover faster and with less post-operative pain.

AHN became an Official U.S. Olympic Regional Medical Center in 2014, joining an exclusive national network of eight leading health care organizations who provide care for Olympic and Paralympic athletes through its National Medical Network.

“Allegheny Health Network’s affiliation with the USOC continues to grow stronger as we collaborate to assure our nation’s top athletes have access to the highest quality and most innovative healthcare services possible,” said Patrick J. DeMeo, MD, Chair of AHN’s Orthopaedic Institute.

AHN has also named Dr. Bill Moreau as a consultant to its sports medicine team.

Dr. Moreau is the managing director of sports medicine for the USOC, the chief medical officer for Team USA during the Rio 2016 Olympic Games, and also oversees the organization’s National Medical Network. His work with AHN includes participating in sports medicine-related research done by AHN’s Orthopaedic Institute and educating and mentoring AHN orthopaedic fellows.

AHN’s orthopaedic and sports medicine services include surgeons considered leaders in arthroscopic joint surgery and reconstructive ligament surgery, plus a team of highly experienced physical therapists, athletic trainers and nurses.

About Highmark Inc.

Highmark Inc. and its health insurance subsidiaries and affiliates collectively are among the ten largest health insurers in the United States and comprise the fourth-largest Blue Cross and Blue Shield-affiliated organization. Highmark and its diversified businesses and affiliates operate health insurance plans in Pennsylvania, Delaware and West Virginia that serve 5.2 million members and hundreds of thousands of additional members through the Blue Card program. Its diversified businesses serve group customer and individual needs across the United States through dental insurance, vision care and other related businesses. Highmark is an independent licensee of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association, an association of independent Blue Cross and Blue Shield companies. For more information, visit www.highmark.com.

About the Allegheny Health Network

Allegheny Health Network is an integrated healthcare delivery system serving the Western Pennsylvania region. The Network is comprised of eight hospitals, including its flagship academic medical center – Allegheny General Hospital, Allegheny Valley Hospital, Canonsburg Hospital, Forbes Hospital, Jefferson Hospital, Saint Vincent Hospital, Westfield Memorial Hospital and West Penn Hospital; the Allegheny-Singer Research Institute; Health + Wellness Pavilions; and a healthcare group purchasing organization. The Network employs approximately 17,000 people, including more than 2,100 physicians on its medical staff. The Network also serves as a clinical campus for both Temple University School of Medicine and Drexel University College of Medicine.