SEATTLE--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Aetna (NYSE: AET) today announced the introduction of Aetna Whole HealthSM in Washington. This innovative new health plan will give members access to coordinated care in King, Snohomish and Pierce counties. Aetna customers who purchase the product will have the ability to offer their employees a choice of four comprehensive and distinct networks built around – Pacific Medical Centers (PacMedTM); The Polyclinic, Providence-Swedish Health Alliance; and Rainier Health Network. All four networks include Seattle Children’s Hospital. This product will be available for self-insured customers starting on January 1, 2015 and for fully insured customers in early 2015.
Aetna Whole Health members will be able to select one of the four networks based on geographic and personal preference and will receive an enhanced level of coordinated care when they seek care within their selected network. The providers will assume responsibility for the quality and cost of care provided to those members.
“We are excited to work with PacMed, The Polyclinic, Providence-Swedish Health Alliance and Rainier Health Network to offer an innovative health care product in the Puget Sound region,” said Norm Seabrooks, Aetna’s president for Washington. “Our new Aetna Whole Health product is intended to provide our members with better health care experiences and outcomes, while helping employers manage health care costs.”
“At PacMed, we pride ourselves on partnering with our patients to live healthier lives,” said Dr. Vik Dabhi, chief medical officer at PacMed. “Aetna Whole Health aligns with the PacMed care model, which promotes coordinated care teams with an emphasis on quality metrics and a personalized patient experience. Our leadership in delivering such excellent care is recognized by the Washington Health Alliance in its statewide 2013 Community Checkup report. Our relationship with Aetna further endorses our commitment to improving the health of our community.”
Aetna Whole Health gives employers better health care options for their employees, and will feature a new model of health care delivery designed to offer;
- Cost savings to employees who use providers in their selected network;
- A more coordinated, personalized experience for patients; and
- Better health care outcomes.
“As a physician-owned and operated multi-specialty medical clinic, our providers work closely with their physician partners and staff to provide well-coordinated, high-quality care to our patients,” said Lloyd David, CEO of The Polyclinic. “As a result, our patients are happy and so are their employers. The Polyclinic continues to be a local leader in patient satisfaction, as evidenced by our high scores on Washington Health Alliance patient experience surveys.”
New payment agreements reward improvements in quality and costs of care
The agreement features a new payment model to reward providers for meeting quality, efficiency and patient satisfaction measures including:
- The percentage of Aetna members who get recommended preventive care and screenings;
- Better management of patients with chronic conditions such as diabetes and heart failure;
- Reductions in avoidable hospital readmission rates; and
- Reductions in emergency room visits.
“The Providence-Swedish Health Alliance is a large, comprehensive network of primary care physicians, specialists and sub-specialists backed by the advanced resources of Swedish Medical Center and Providence Health & Services. We are pleased to partner with Aetna to offer employers and their employees access to high quality health care designed to meet any health need,” said Joe Gifford, M.D., chief executive of the Providence-Swedish Health Alliance.
“As part of the Aetna Whole Health Network, Rainier Health Network is poised to provide comprehensive care coverage designed to foster continuing relationships between patients and their care team,” said Rick MacCornack, PhD, CEO of Rainier Health Network. “This type of collaboration will provide real value in terms of their personal and financial wellbeing.”
Aetna is working with health care organizations across the country to develop products and services that support value-driven, patient-centered care for all health care consumers. Nationally, more than 2.3 million members are served by value-based health care models.
About Pacific Medical Centers
Pacific Medical Centers (PacMedTM) is a private, not-for-profit, multi-specialty healthcare network of nine locations with 150 primary and specialty care providers. Its nine locations are in the Puget Sound neighborhoods of Beacon Hill, Canyon Park, Federal Way, First Hill, Lynnwood, Northgate, Puyallup, Renton and Totem Lake. Pacific Medical Centers serves patients with commercial insurance, retired military and their families, family members of active-duty personnel, as well as the underserved in its community. For more information, visit www.PacMed.org.
About The Polyclinic
The Polyclinic is made up of nearly 200 physicians, including internal medicine, family medicine, OB/GYN, pediatrics, and nearly every medical and surgical specialty at 13 locations in and around Seattle. The Polyclinic cares for approximately 200,000 patients. Since its inception in 1917, The Polyclinic’s mission has been to promote the health of its patients through personalized care. The Polyclinic was the first health care organization in the state to be approved as a Medicare ACO and the first to participate in a shared savings program for commercially insured patients. Since then, The Polyclinic has worked with many employers and payers to develop innovative new programs focused on care coordination, care quality and a lower total cost of care. For more information, visit www.polyclinic.com.
About Providence-Swedish Health Alliance
The Providence-Swedish Health Alliance is an accountable care organization (ACO) offering a transformative approach to health care and benefits. By bringing physicians, hospitals and other partners together to more closely coordinate care for patients, the ACO focuses on delivering the highest quality care to patients at a lower cost. The Providence-Swedish Health Alliance includes the comprehensive resources of Providence Health & Services, Swedish Health Services, Minor & James Medical and Pacific Medical Centers. The health alliance also partners with other physician groups to meet the unique needs of employers and payers. For instance, The Everett Clinic, The Polyclinic, Proliance Surgeons and Puget Sound Family Physicians are participating with the Providence-Swedish Health Alliance to serve Boeing employees. The Providence-Swedish Health Alliance was approved as a Medicare ACO in December 2013 and serves more than 25,000 Medicare beneficiaries in Western Washington.
About Rainier Health Network
The Rainier Health Network (RHN) is a collaboration between CHI Franciscan Health and Northwest Physicians Network formed in 2012 to build a clinically integrated network of medical and health care providers in the south Puget Sound region.
The RHN is a physician-led organization designed to gradually transform the way medicine is delivered to better meet the needs of an increasingly diverse population. The goal is to provide high value to health plan beneficiaries through new plan benefits designed to reduce overall cost of care while achieving better care results.
The RHN provider network includes Franciscan Medical Group clinics and Northwest Physicians Network clinics with more than 1,000 providers representing 55 specialties and sub-specialties located in Pierce, King and Kitsap counties. Clinic services are supported by services provided at St. Joseph Medical Center, Tacoma; St. Francis Hospital, Federal Way; St. Clare Hospital, Lakewood; St. Elizabeth Hospital, Enumclaw; St. Anthony Hospital, Gig Harbor; Highline Medical Center, Burien; Harrison Medical Center and Harrison HealthPartners, Kitsap and Olympic peninsulas; Regional Hospital, Tukwila; and Franciscan Hospice House, University Place. The RHN was an early entrant into the Medicare ACO program. Among its new, expanded offerings is the Aetna Whole Health product in 2015.
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
