NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Aetna (NYSE: AET) today announced a new accountable care agreement with Weill Cornell Physicians, Cornell University’s physician group, intended to enhance care for approximately 9,000 of Aetna’s commercial and Medicare members in New York.
The accountable care arrangements included in the recently signed agreement involve the Weill Cornell Physicians’ 1,237 doctors, healthcare professionals, and care managers who work closely with Aetna to coordinate healthcare services and demonstrate high-quality medical care.
“Aetna and Weill Cornell Physicians share the responsibility of giving the 9,000 New Yorkers we both serve high-quality, efficient and coordinated care,” said David Kobus, Aetna senior vice president, New York Network. “As with all members, we want these shared customers to feel well and to feel supported by their personal healthcare system. Together, Aetna and Weill Cornell are stepping forward to collaborate and share in the accountability of positive patient outcomes.”
“This collaboration will add to the effort of aligning our Weill Cornell faculty with the Triple Aim of improving quality, lowering costs, and performing population-health management,” said Michael Wolk, MD, MACC, chair of the Weill Cornell Physicians’ Managed Care Committee.
Under the new agreement for commercial members, Aetna will recognize the Weill Cornell Physicians Organization for achieving quality and efficiency benchmarks. It also will help Weill Cornell expand its care-management program and add health information technology that will benefit Aetna members.
Under the Medicare arrangement, CMS quality and efficiency measures will be used to track Weill Cornell Physicians’ performance and improve utilization of medical services and communication among medical professionals.
“Many Medicare members have complex healthcare needs that go undetected,” said Terry Golash, M.D., senior medical director, Aetna, New York. “When care providers and insurers work together in a Medicare collaboration model, information and resources can be shared to improve care and direct outreach.”
Similar to other Medicare collaborations in place in New York and elsewhere, Aetna nurse case managers will work closely with the Weill Cornell Physicians to identify, coordinate and improve the care of these members and ensure adherence to best practices and treatment plans.
In a study published in Health Affairs, an Aetna Medicare Provider Collaboration program:
• Significantly reduced hospital admissions and readmissions;
• Increased preventive care; and
• Reduced health care costs for the study population compared to unmanaged Medicare.
Aetna is working with healthcare organizations across the country to develop products and services that support value-driven, patient-centered care for all healthcare consumers. Presently in New York, Aetna has over 100,000 members served through value-based collaborative arrangements, with the intent to reach 200,000 – or approximately 20 percent of its membership – by year end. Nationally, more than 2.3 million members are served by this healthcare model.
About Aetna
Aetna is one of the nation's leading diversified health care benefits companies, serving an estimated 45 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. @aetna
