Aetna Press Release:

Aetna Adds Colorado to Its Participation in Broadscale Medical Home Initiative

Thursday, June 27, 2013 11:58 am EDT

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"We are pleased to collaborate with physicians, CMS and other payors to improve health care delivered to all Coloradans"

DENVER--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Aetna (NYSE: AET) has received approval from the Center for Medicare & Medicaid Innovation, one of the centers within the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), to join the multi-year Comprehensive Primary Care (CPC) initiative in Colorado on October 1, 2013. The CPC initiative aims to improve the quality and cost-efficiency of the care received by millions of Americans specifically by improving their access to excellent primary care. Earlier this year, Aetna was selected by the Innovation Center as a participating health plan in the New York and Ohio markets.

“Primary care practices play a vital role in our health care system and we are looking at ways to better support them in their efforts to coordinate care for their patients,” said CMS Administrator Marilyn Tavenner.

“Aetna is excited to support this physician initiative that will lead to better health, better care, and better per capita cost,” said Tom Dameron, president of Aetna’s Mountain States. “We believe this approach will lead to standard quality and economic guidelines that physicians, insurers, Medicare and Medicaid can agree upon.”

Through the CPC initiative, public and private payers both will pay the selected primary care practices bonus payments for enhanced primary care that must meet certain benchmarks typical of “medical homes.” Each practice will receive resources to support enhanced care coordination activities, such as: offering longer and more flexible hours, using electronic health records, delivering preventive care, coordinating care with patients’ other providers, engaging patients and caregivers in managing their own care, and providing individualized care for patients who have multiple chronic diseases. In addition, primary care practices participating in the CPC initiative will be eligible to share in health care savings experienced by public and private payers.

“We are pleased to collaborate with physicians, CMS and other payors to improve health care delivered to all Coloradans,” said Tim Giess, Aetna’s network director in Colorado.

The Colorado CPC initiative includes the participation of more than 360 physicians, ten health plans and the state Medicaid agency.

More information about the CPC initiative, including participating geographies and details of the medical home criteria, can be found at:http://innovation.cms.gov/initiatives/comprehensive-primary-care-initiative/.

About Aetna

Aetna is one of the nation's leading diversified health care benefits companies, serving an estimated 44 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 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.