Aetna Becomes First Georgia Insurer to Cover Medically Fragile Children for ‘Dream House’

ATLANTA--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Aetna (NYSE: AET) announced today that it will cover the transition care services for members of “Dream House for Medically Fragile Children Inc.,” the first insurance company in Georgia to do so.

“This adds stress to their families and can expose them to further risk of infection.”

Dream House provides hospital-to-home services at the Family for Keeps® Transition Care Home in Lilburn, Ga., which is the only licensed children’s transition care center in the nation. At the center, children with complicated needs that require careful monitoring and a wide variety of medical interventions receive around-the-clock skilled nursing care in a home-like setting. Their families and caregivers are trained on site, and homes are prepared to meet the children’s specialized care needs.

“Aetna is one of the most progressive insurance companies in today’s market,” noted Laura O. Moore, Dream House founder and CEO. “They recognize the value of transition care services for medically complex children, and have demonstrated great leadership by making these services available to their clients. We are grateful for their involvement, and look forward to serving Aetna members with exceptional programs and services.”

Moore, a pediatric nurse and clinical educator for more than 20 years, created the patent-pending Family for Keeps® Transition Model of Care in response to a startling trend she recognized in the late 1990s. In addition to her professional expertise, Moore is herself the foster and adoptive parent of a medically fragile child.

“Without a facility of this nature, children typically have to stay longer in a costly hospital setting,” she said. “This adds stress to their families and can expose them to further risk of infection.”

Heroic medical advancements save more children each year who would not previously have survived, but the infrastructure to support their specialized, intensive needs at home has not grown at the same rate, Moore noted. “We prepare families who will be caring for children at home, so they can leave the hospital sooner. That reduces medical expenses, and gives the children a better quality of life,” she said.

“As we visit health care providers, we are constantly inspired and motivated by the work they do,” said Dr. Jack Spicer, Aetna medical director for Georgia. “By providing excellent training to caregivers in a comfortable setting, Dream House lessens the chance of children returning to the hospital. Doctors and nurses know a child’s next move will be to a safe, controlled care setting.

“At a time when we are looking at how to lower health care costs and improve health outcomes, this innovative relationship with Dream House is a positive step for everyone. We are proud to be the first health insurer to take this important step, and we encourage others to follow our lead for the benefit of these children and their families,” Dr. Spicer said.

About Aetna

Aetna is one of the nation's leading diversified health care benefits companies, serving approximately 35.8 million people with information and resources to help them make better informed decisions about their health care. Aetna offers a broad range of traditional and consumer-directed health insurance products and related services, including medical, pharmacy, dental, behavioral health, group life and disability plans, and medical management capabilities and health care management services for Medicaid plans. Our customers include employer groups, individuals, college students, part-time and hourly workers, health plans, governmental units, government-sponsored plans, labor groups and expatriates. For more information, see www.aetna.com.

About Dream House for Medically Fragile Children Inc.

Dream House believes every child deserves a home, a family and a future. The Dream House Family for Keeps® Transition Care Programs and Services help to increase the number of families and communities prepared to care for medically fragile children at home by providing them safe, temporary homes; training families and caregivers; preparing specially-equipped and accessible homes; and championing positive change for this vulnerable population via community and corporate partnerships. Since inception in 2001, the Dream House organization has served more than 1,000 children (kinship, foster, adoptive) in 50 Georgia counties. Awarded the 2009 Pinnacle Award and named a Best in America Local Independent Charity, by the Independent Charities of America, Dream House supporters invest in a mission that helps medically fragile children leave the hospital sooner. In doing so, their health conditions and quality of life improves, thus providing the State of Georgia, tax payers and health care institutions with a more effective and efficient way to meet these children’s needs. For more information, see www.dreamhouseforkids.org.