HARTFORD, Conn.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Aetna (NYSE: AET) announced today that beginning Jan. 1, 2016, it will offer co-branded health insurance plans under its accountable care organization (ACO) agreements with Hartford HealthCare (HHC) and the Value Care Alliance (VCA). This unique collaboration among Aetna, HHC and VCA will help make health care more affordable and enhance access to safe, quality care.
The plans will be marketed under the name Aetna Whole Health – Hartford HealthCare & Value Care Alliance.
Connecticut residents who choose the plans will pay lower out-of-pocket costs for receiving care from within these two health care organizations. They also will benefit from the improved flow of information between HHC and VCA hospitals and physicians. Patients with chronic or complex conditions requiring closer care coordination will receive particular attention.
The new ACO network will feature more than 3,500 physicians; 39 urgent care and emergency room locations; and 13 hospitals, providing access throughout Connecticut.
“This is great news for Aetna’s present and future members in Connecticut,” said Mark Santos, president of Aetna’s New England operations. “We built this product to be a highly competitive solution for businesses and for individuals looking for quality coverage, affordable rates and strong value for their health care dollar. It emphasizes featured care providers from two top systems. They will work with us to deliver high-quality care at a competitive price.”
The product announcement follows ACO network contracts signed by Aetna in recent months with each of the two health care organizations.
“We have been working over the past two years to improve patient outcomes through more effective care coordination and management, which ultimately reduces health care costs,” said Dr. James Cardon, CEO of Integrated Care Partners and chief clinical integration officer for HHC. “This agreement is one more advance in our shift from fee-for-service care, where physicians are paid for the number of things they do, to value-based care, where physicians and other providers are paid for the quality of care they deliver. This can only benefit the patients we serve.”
Integrated Care Partners (ICP), a physician-led clinical integration organization of HHC-affiliated physicians, will play a key role in improving how patient care is delivered. The arrangement will involve HHC’s 2,000 ICP providers, who will work closely with Aetna to coordinate health care services and demonstrate high-quality medical care.
“The VCA’s collaboration with Aetna and Hartford HealthCare to create innovative, high-value health plan offerings is a logical extension of our members’ efforts to increase both the quality and efficiency of care provided,” said Patrick Charmel, chairman of the VCA and president and CEO of Griffin Hospital. “VCA hospitals share a commitment to inform and engage consumers — those who receive and pay for care — while providing a better patient experience at lower cost. We are pleased to join Aetna and HHC as we collectively lead the transformation of Connecticut’s health care delivery system to a more consumer-focused and value-based model.”
The VCA comprises seven member hospitals and nearly 1,800 affiliated physicians in Fairfield, Litchfield, Middlesex, New Haven and New London counties. Six of the hospitals will be participating in the new product agreement.
They are:
- Griffin Hospital in Derby;
- Middlesex Hospital in Middletown;
- St. Vincent’s Medical Center in Bridgeport; and
- The Western Connecticut Health Network (Danbury Hospital, New Milford Hospital and Norwalk Hospital).
The VCA network covers a broad geography across the state, offering access through its hospital members and their affiliated physician offices and urgent care centers. Additionally, the VCA offers multiple options for patients seeking behavioral health care, outpatient diagnostic, outpatient radiology/mammography, wound care, ambulatory surgery and occupational medicine services.
Hartford HealthCare includes:
- Hartford Hospital in Hartford,
- The Hospital of Central Connecticut, with campuses at Bradley Memorial in Southington and New Britain General in New Britain,
- MidState Medical Center in Meriden,
- The William H. Backus Hospital in Norwich; and
- Windham Hospital in Windham.
HHC also includes a Behavioral Health Network with the Institute of Living, Natchaug Hospital and Rushford; Clinical Laboratory Partners, which provides laboratory services throughout Connecticut; Hartford HealthCare at Home, which includes home nursing care and rehabilitation services; a rehabilitation network; a physician group including a wide range of specialties and primary care; and a host of senior services, including skilled-nursing facilities.
About Hartford HealthCare
Hartford HealthCare is Connecticut’s most comprehensive healthcare network. Their fully integrated healthcare system includes a tertiary-care teaching hospital, an acute-care community teaching hospital, an acute-care hospital and trauma center, two community hospitals, the state’s most extensive behavioral health services network, a statewide clinical laboratory operation, a large primary care physician practice group, a regional home care system, an array of senior care services, a coordinated cancer institute with five cancer centers, and a large physical therapy rehabilitation network. To learn more, visit www.hartfordhealthcare.org, and see how Hartford HealthCare is creating a better future for health care in Connecticut and beyond.
About Integrated Care Partners
Integrated Care Partners (ICP) is a clinically integrated network that brings together Hartford Healthcare (HHC) system hospitals; HHC employed physicians; and community, private-practice physicians in a coordinated effort to improve the health of patients and the populations we serve. Leading the way in Connecticut in transforming how healthcare is delivered, ICP members collaborate to improve quality and safety, enhance the patient experience and reduce the cost of care.
About Value Care Alliance
The Value Care Alliance (VCA) is a collaboration among high quality, low cost Connecticut health care systems. This includes seven member hospitals and their affiliated physicians working together to enhance efficient, coordinated care and promote local governance with shared leadership in health care decision making. The Alliance provides opportunities to exchange best practices among its members with the goal of reducing health care expense and improving quality. Additionally, the Alliance delivers data and analytical capabilities to enable efficient and effective care management and optimize the coordination of care across multiple settings. The Alliance is the largest collaboration of independent health care providers in the state. Hospital and physician leaders are working together to set the direction for the Alliance and to enhance the delivery of clinically integrated care, as it helps its members and their patients respond to the changing health care environment. For more information, see www.valuecarealliance.com.
About Aetna
Aetna is one of the nation's leading diversified health care benefits companies, serving an estimated 46.7 million people with information and resources to help them make better informed decisions about their health care. Aetna offers a broad range of traditional, voluntary and consumer-directed health insurance products and related services, including medical, pharmacy, dental, behavioral health, group life and disability plans, and medical management capabilities, Medicaid health care management services, workers' compensation administrative services and health information technology products and services. Aetna's customers include employer groups, individuals, college students, part-time and hourly workers, health plans, health care providers, governmental units, government-sponsored plans, labor groups and expatriates. For more information, see www.aetna.com and learn about how Aetna is helping to build a healthier world. @AetnaNews
