Optima Health to take majority stake in Virginia Premier

Virginia Beach-based Optima Health Plan will become the majority owner of Richmond-based Virginia Premier, a nonprofit managed-care organization.

Virginia Premier was founded in 1995 by VCU Health System. The Richmond-based health system will retain a 20% ownership stake in Virginia Premier. Together, Optima and Virginia Premier will serve nearly 800,000 members. Optima is a subsidiary of Norfolk-based Sentara Healthcare.

“As provider-led health plans, Optima Health and Virginia Premier share similar cultures, values and a commitment to delivering innovative services that meet the unique needs of the populations we serve,” Dennis A. Matheis, president of Optima Health and executive vice president of Sentara Healthcare, said in a statement. “Together, we will be better positioned to increase access to quality care, achieve greater efficiencies and develop new services to improve our members’ overall experience.”

Optima and Virginia Premier are two of the state’s original Medicaid managed care organizations. Company officials said Virginia Premier and Optima will continue to operate as separate entities, retaining their names and brands. Virginia Premier will maintain an operations center in Richmond and a presence in other areas in the state.