Aetna News Release:

Aetna and Texas Health Resources Form Accountable Care Collaboration

From the primary care physician’s office to specialists and facilities, patients will enjoy a more coordinated health care experience

Tuesday, January 29, 2013 2:42 pm EST

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"Texas Health is collaborating with Aetna, physicians and employers to develop an accountable care model that not only cares for people when they are ill, but also focuses on keeping people healthy and out of the hospital unless they are acutely sick or injured,"

DALLAS & ARLINGTON, Texas--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Aetna (NYSE: AET) and Texas Health Resources today announced a new accountable care agreement in the Dallas – Fort Worth Metroplex. The collaboration is designed to improve the quality of care for Aetna members and lower overall health care costs. The agreement, effective immediately, will include Aetna members in Dallas, Collin, Denton, Ellis, Grayson, Johnson, Kaufman, Parker, Rockwall and Tarrant counties.

“Texas Health is collaborating with Aetna, physicians and employers to develop an accountable care model that not only cares for people when they are ill, but also focuses on keeping people healthy and out of the hospital unless they are acutely sick or injured,” said Doug Hawthorne, CEO of Texas Health Resources. “Together, we are leading the way in transforming from the fee-for-service model to a value-based model. We are creating a physician-directed care-team approach that we believe will foster more accountability across the continuum of care, from the individual patient to the physician to every other provider on the team. Our ultimate goal is to help physicians manage the health of their patient populations and improve their health and well-being.”

Ralph Holmes, president of Aetna’s Texas operations, said, “We are excited to be working with Texas Health Resources to bring a new level of health care to our members. Texas Health Physicians Group physicians will lead the team in a care environment that focuses on improving quality, reducing cost and delivering more value to the patient, no matter what their health care needs may be. We believe our members will receive more coordinated care that will lead to better health outcomes.”

Texas Health Physicians Group is Texas Health Resources' 501(a) not-for-profit health corporation for member physicians. It includes more than 750 physicians, nurse practitioners, physician assistants and medical professionals.

Accountable care models drive focus on more coordinated care

An accountable care collaboration is a group of health care providers who assume responsibility for the quality and cost of care for a group of patients. Aetna members will receive an enhanced level of coordinated care in addition to the member benefits of their current Aetna plan.

Dr. Michael Stoltz, president of Texas Health Physicians Group, said, “One of our goals is to provide physicians with better predictors of health risk earlier in a patient’s life. By implementing behavior interventions early, we can improve health and outcomes in the long term. We will also provide tools to help physicians better manage patients with multiple chronic conditions who need immediate interventions. Such resources and tools can help physicians more efficiently manage a growing patient population, keep the healthy patient well and focus on patients needing their guidance most.”

New payment agreements reward improvements in quality and costs of care

The agreement with Texas Health Resources features a new payment model that will reward physicians 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;
• Reductions in avoidable hospital readmissions; and
• Reductions in Emergency Room visits by improving primary care access hours.

Texas Health uses electronic health records in all of its wholly-owned facilities and is building an integrated physician-directed population health solution. This information infrastructure will help physicians identify trends in their patient populations. It will also help them identify individual patients who have health risks and could benefit from early interventions.

Aetna is working with health care organizations across the country to develop products and services that support value-driven, patient-centered care. Aetna’s solutions help all types of patients, regardless of payer. Information about Accountable Care Solutions from Aetna is available at www.aetnaacs.com.

About Texas Health Resources

Texas Health Resources is one of the largest faith-based, nonprofit health systems in the United States. The health system includes 25 acute care and short-stay hospitals that are owned, operated, joint-ventured or affiliated with Texas Health Resources. It includes the Texas Health Presbyterian, Texas Health Arlington Memorial and Texas Health Harris Methodist hospitals, Huguley Memorial Medical Center, Texas Health Physicians Group, outpatient facilities, behavioral health and home health, preventive and fitness services, and an organization for medical research and education.

For more information about Texas Health Resources, call 1-877-THR-WELL (1-877-847-9355), or visit TexasHealth.org.

About Aetna

Aetna is one of the nation's leading diversified health care benefits companies, serving approximately 37.3 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 and health information technology services. Our 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.