Aetna, Hartford HealthCare and Physicians Announce New Multi-Year Network Agreement

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Aetna, Hartford HealthCare and Physicians Announce New Multi-Year Network Agreement

Aetna (NYSE: ) and Hartford HealthCare (HHC) today announced a new multi-year network agreement beginning on January 1, 2015, and that the two organizations will offer new value-based, accountable care arrangements in Connecticut beginning next year.

Aetna and Hartford HealthCare plan to implement an accountable care agreement for Aetna members beginning in 2015 and to jointly introduce new accountable care products in 2016. The accountable care agreement is designed to improve quality and the overall patient experience, improve access to care, and lower medical costs. Integrated Care Partners (ICP), a physician-led clinical integration organization of Hartford HealthCare-affiliated physicians, will play a critical role in improving how patient care is delivered through the new value-based accountable care relationships that are being defined.

In an accountable care agreement, a group of health care providers assumes responsibility for the quality and cost of care for a group of patients. Aetna members in these models receive an enhanced level of coordinated care in addition to the member benefits of their current Aetna plan.

The accountable care arrangements will involve HHC’s 2,000 Integrated Care Partners doctors, health care professionals, and care managers who work closely with Aetna to coordinate health care services and aim to demonstrate high-quality medical care.

The agreement being announced today builds on a successful existing collaboration between Aetna, Hartford HealthCare and ICP for HHC employees. Already today for this employee population, which is covered by Aetna, the three entities are exchanging data to help identify, engage and help people with chronic conditions like diabetes and chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder (COPD) and also to improve care coordination for employees being discharged from one of the acute-care five hospitals in the HHC system.

“Aetna, HHC and their physicians share the responsibility of giving the thousands of Connecticut residents we both serve high-quality, efficient and coordinated care,” said Martha R. Temple, Aetna president, New England. “As with all members, we want these shared patients and members to feel well and to feel supported by their personal health care system. Together, Aetna and Hartford HealthCare are stepping forward to collaborate and share in the accountability of positive patient outcomes.”

“We are so pleased that these two respected Hartford-based organizations are working together on behalf of patients throughout our entire network,” said Jeffrey Flaks, executive vice president and chief operating officer for Hartford HealthCare. “We are happy to have a partner who shares our values and our vision.”

Dr. James Cardon, executive vice president and chief clinical integration officer for Hartford HealthCare, called the agreement with Aetna “good news for patients, employers and health care providers across our system. Together, we will work to improve quality, provide more access to health services and programs and lower the overall cost of care.”

“Together with Aetna, we can create greater value in health care,” added Dr. Cardon, who is also president and chief executive officer for Integrated Care Partners. “We are enthused about developing programs that keep people healthier – providing the right care at the right time for the right cost.”

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.

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 and about how Aetna is helping to build a healthier world. @aetna

Hartford HealthCare is Connecticut’s most comprehensive health care network. Our fully integrated health 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 , and see how Hartford HealthCare is creating a better future for health care in Connecticut and beyond.

Integrated Care Partners (ICP) is a physician-led organization dedicated to delivering personalized, comprehensive and coordinated care to patients. As a community of physicians, ICP defines performance objectives, quality standards and evidence-based medicine protocols; forges partnerships with health plans, employers and providers; and establishes requirements for participation. ICP’s mission is to be a high-performing network of integrated providers, successfully delivering value-based population health.