UNITED STATES SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
                   WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549
                              
                          FORM 8-K
                              
                       CURRENT REPORT

Pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange
Act of 1934

                       MARCH 17, 1999
                       ---------------
              (Date of earliest event reported)


         LABORATORY CORPORATION OF AMERICA HOLDINGS
         ------------------------------------------
   (Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)


   DELAWARE              1-11353             13-3757370
   --------              -------             ----------
(State or other         (Commission         (IRS Employer
jurisdiction of         File Number)         Identification
incorporation)                               Number)


   358 SOUTH MAIN STREET, BURLINGTON, NORTH CAROLINA 27215
   -------------------------------------------------------
          (Address of principal executive offices)
                              
                        336-229-1127
                        ------------
    (Registrant's telephone number, including area code)
                              

ITEM 5. OTHER EVENTS On March 17, 1999, the Company issued a press release announcing that its Board of Directors has declared dividends on the Company's 8 1/2% Series A Convertible Exchangeable Preferred Stock and the Company's 8 1/2% Series B Convertible Pay-in-Kind Preferred Stock. ITEM 7. FINANCIAL STATEMENTS, PRO FORMA FINANCIAL INFORMATION AND EXHIBITS (c) Exhibit 20 Press release of the Company dated March 17, 1999.

SIGNATURES Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities and Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned hereunto duly authorized. LABORATORY CORPORATION OF AMERICA HOLDINGS ------------------------------------------ (Registrant) By:/s/ BRADFORD T. SMITH ------------------------------ Bradford T. Smith Executive Vice President, General Counsel, Secretary and Compliance Officer Date: March 29, 1999




Laboratory Corporation of America-Registered Trademark- Holdings
358 South Main Street
Burlington, NC 27215


FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
- ---------------------                                 

CONTACT: 336-584-5171                        SHAREHOLDER DIRECT:800-LAB-0401
- -------  Media - Cynthia Jay, Ext. 6652      ------------------ www.labcorp.com
         Investors - Pamela Sherry, Ext. 4855


        LABORATORY CORPORATION OF AMERICA-REGISTERED TRADEMARK- DECLARES
                           PREFERRED STOCK DIVIDENDS

BURLINGTON, NC, MARCH 17, 1999 - Laboratory Corporation of America-
Registered Trademark- Holdings (LabCorp-Registered Trademark-) (NYSE:LH) 
today announced that its Board of Directors has declared a dividend of 
$1.0625 per share on the Company's 8 1/2% Series A Convertible Exchangeable 
Preferred Stock (Series A Preferred Stock), payable in cash.  The Board 
has also declared a dividend of $1.0625 per share on the Company's 8 1/2% 
Series B Convertible Pay-in-Kind Preferred Stock (Series B Preferred Stock),
payable in shares of Series B Preferred Stock at the rate of 0.02125 shares 
per share of Series B Preferred Stock held.  No fractional shares of Series B
Preferred Stock will be issued, so that the number of shares to be paid as 
a dividend on the Series B Preferred Stock will be rounded to the nearest 
whole number of shares.  The dividends will be payable on March 31, 1999, 
for each issued and outstanding share of Series A and B Preferred Stock 
to stockholders of record on March 24, 1999, and will cover the dividend 
period from January 1, 1999, to March 31, 1999, at an equivalent annualized 
rate of $4.25 per share.

Laboratory Corporation of America-Registered Trademark-Holdings (LabCorp-
Registered Trademark-) is a national clinical laboratory with annual revenues
of $1.6 billion in 1998.  With 18,000 employees and over 200,000 clients 
nationwide, the company offers more than 2,000 clinical tests, ranging from 
simple blood analyses to more sophisticated technologies.  In addition to the 
major testing sites, the Center for Molecular Biology and Pathology, 
LabCorp's leading edge esoteric testing facility located in Research Triangle 
Park, North Carolina, develops applications for polymerase chain reaction
(PCR) technology, a revolutionary technique used to produce some of the most
sensitive diagnostic tests ever developed.  LabCorp's clients include 
physicians, state and federal governments, managed care organizations, 
hospitals, clinics, pharmaceutical and many Fortune 1000 companies, and other 
clinical laboratories.
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