There's an additional health plan for MUSC State employees to choose this October.

It's MUSC Options and it's designed to incorporate some of the best features of the State Health Plan with the best features of State HMOs to provide more complete health care coverage at an affordable price. Best of all, MUSC Options provides you access to all of our outstanding MUSC physicians as well as some of the best physicians in the community.

It also includes a number of hospitals including MUSC, East Cooper Regional Medical Center and Trident Health System.

The MUSC Options program is a managed care pilot being offered by the Office of Insurance Services to only MUSC employees this fall. Like an HMO, you select a primary care doctor from the MUSC Options network to manage your health care needs. You receive the highest level of benefits if you use your primary doctor to provide for your routine health care needs and coordinate your more specialized health care services.

Like other HMOs, MUSC Options provides many preventive benefits. Services like an annual physical exam, annual GYN exam; immunizations for your children are all covered for a low $10 copayment if you use an MUSC Options network provider. A prescription card makes getting your drugs filled easy. If you need the care of a specialist, your primary care doctor will work with you to make sure you get the best care possible. With a referral, it will only cost you $15 to visit a specialist.

MUSC Options gives you more options for your health care coverage. Want to go directly to a specialist without visiting your primary care doctor first? With Options, you can pay a $30 copayment and go to any specialist in the MUSC Options network you choose to use a health care provider not in the MUSC Options network, that's covered too at 60 percent of allowable charges.

When you receive your annual enrollment information, be sure to look for information on the MUSC Options plan. Come talk with us about MUSC Options at the Benefits Fair on Oct. 22 through 23. You'll find the cost is competitive and the benefits are outstanding. It gives you the option to use your health benefits in a way that best meets your needs.

3 Family Medicine sites to serve you

The MUSC Department of Family Medicine has family physicians to serve you and family members at three locations around town. Evening and Saturday hours are available.

MUSC Family Medicine Center, 295 Calhoun St. New patients call Judy Alden at 792-0813. Primary care physicians: Dr. Clive Brock, Dr. Peter Carek, Dr. Alec Chessman, Dr. Todd Detar, Dr. Barry Hainer, Dr. Kesh Hebbar, Dr. Lisa Hunter, Dr. Bill Hueston, Dr. Cleve Hutson, Dr. Bob Mallin, Dr. Steve Ornstein, Dr. Bill Simpson and Dr. Caroline Thiedke

West Ashley Family Medicine, 1253 Savannah Highway, Parkwood Office Center New patients call Ashley Gardner or Brenda Campbell at 852-3141. Primary care physicians: Dr. Gebhard Steuer and Dr. James Lipke

University Family Medicine, 9237 University Blvd., North Charleston New patients call Pamela Carpenter at 572-8277. Primary care physicians: Dr. Jon Sack and Dr. Sheri Lewis-Stevenson