Aetna Press Release:

Aetna and Bon Secours Health System Collaborate to Achieve Triple Aims for Medicare Beneficiaries

-- Aetna also to become health plan for Bon Secours employees and dependents --

Tuesday, June 25, 2013 9:00 am EDT

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"We are excited to empower Bon Secours’ physicians with greater access to the information and resources they need to better care for patients and make the experience simpler and more effective. We also look forward to supporting the medical benefits for Bon Secours’ employees."

MARRIOTTSVILLE, Md.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Aetna (NYSE: AET) and Bon Secours Health System (BSHSI) today announced a new accountable care agreement that will support 57,000 fee-for-service Medicare beneficiaries in Kentucky, New York, South Carolina and Virginia. Bon Secours will use technology and care coordination services from Aetna subsidiary Healthagen to help coordinate health care for Medicare beneficiaries whose primary physician participates in the Good Help ACO. The agreement is designed to improve the quality of care for Medicare beneficiaries under the Medicare Shared Savings Program while lowering overall health care costs. In addition, Aetna will begin administering Bon Secours’ employee medical benefits plan beginning September 1, 2013. Bon Secours provides health benefits to 12,000 employees and their dependents.

“Working together with Bon Secours, we are bringing fee-for-service Medicare beneficiaries a new model of health care that emphasizes coordination and collaboration,” said Tom Grote, president of Aetna’s Virginia, Maryland and Washington, D.C. operations. “We are excited to empower Bon Secours’ physicians with greater access to the information and resources they need to better care for patients and make the experience simpler and more effective. We also look forward to supporting the medical benefits for Bon Secours’ employees.”

Coordinating Care for Medicare Fee-for-Service Beneficiaries

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) sponsors the Medicare Shared Savings Program to facilitate coordination and cooperation among providers to improve the quality of care for Medicare fee-for-service beneficiaries and reduce unnecessary costs.

Healthagen will provide Bon Secours sophisticated technology, analytics and care coordination staff to help physicians care for Medicare patients who need support for emerging and chronic health issues. The capabilities will complement existing Bon Secours technology, such as electronic medical records. Healthagen solutions will include:

• Health information exchange technology for the secure, two-way exchange of health information across a patient’s entire care team; and
• Desktop-based access to clinical decision support and workflow tools to help physicians track, monitor, coordinate and report on patient health outcomes.

“This is an exciting partnership between two well-established organizations. It brings together our extensive primary care network with Aetna’s insurance skills. I believe the partnership will accelerate our transformation to higher value for our communities,” said Marlon Priest, M.D., BSHSI’s chief medical officer.

By identifying the individuals who may benefit, the care team can offer clinical programs and health interventions to help prevent avoidable health issues, effectively manage those that exist and minimize the progression of chronic disease. The collaboration will have a significant focus on patient engagement and compliance to help ensure the long-term success of the overall effort.

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.

For more information about Accountable Care Organizations (ACOs), visit www.cms.gov/aco or call 1-800-Medicare (1-800-633-4227). TTY users should call 1-877-486-2048.

For more information about Good Help ACO, visit www.goodhelpaco.org.

About Bon Secours

Bon Secours Health System, Inc. based in Marriottsville, Maryland, is a $3.4 billion dollar not-for-profit Catholic health system that owns, manages or joint ventures 19 acute care, 5 long term care, 4 assisted living, 6 retirement communities/senior housing, 14 home care and hospice services, and other facilities, primarily on the East Coast. Bon Secours Health System has more than 22,000 caregivers helping people in six states. Its vision is to be a prophetic Catholic health ministry partnering with communities to create a more humane world, build health and social justice and provide exceptional value for those served. For more information, visit www.bshsi.org.

About Healthagen

Healthagen, an Aetna company, offers health and technology services to providers, payers, employers and consumers. Healthagen brings together a wide range of payer-neutral population health management solutions and health information technology capabilities. Through its business incubation process, Healthagen also develops new businesses and solutions to address important health care challenges. Healthagen solutions are designed to improve quality, control costs and engage consumers in their health care. For more information, including a complete listing of Healthagen businesses, visit www.healthagen.com.

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.