Aetna and Arizona Care Network Announce an Accountable Care Collaboration in Phoenix

PHOENIX--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

Aetna AET and Arizona Care Network today announced an accountable care collaboration and the introduction of Arizona Care Network Plans, an Aetna Whole Health^SM product. Aetna Whole Health is a collection of benefits plans that will give members access to highly coordinated care from the physicians and facilities in the Arizona Care Network. The health plans are designed for fully insured and self-insured employers in Maricopa County and will be available starting January 1, 2014.

Arizona Care Network, formed through collaboration between Dignity Health Arizona and Abrazo Health, is a physician-led, physician-governed clinically integrated network composed of more than 1,500 physicians, nine hospitals and numerous health care partners throughout the state. This network will provide a more personalized health care experience for Aetna Whole Health members in Phoenix.

“Working together, Aetna and Arizona Care Network will deliver high quality, comprehensive health care to our customers and their employees in Maricopa County,” said Tom Dameron, Aetna's president for Arizona operations. “This agreement with Arizona Care Network is just the latest example of Aetna's commitment to working with medical providers across the country to provide better value and improved outcomes for our members.”

Aetna Whole Health plans give employers better health care options for their employees. The plans feature a new model of health care delivery designed to offer:

• A more coordinated, personalized experience for patients;
• Lower co-pays for seeing providers that are part of the ACO network; and
• Better health care outcomes.

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.

New payment agreements reward improvements in quality and costs of care

The agreement features a new payment model to reward Arizona Care Network 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 Arizona Care Network model connects patients with care teams composed of primary care physicians, specialists and care coordinators – creating a personalized, higher quality, more integrated patient experience. “We engage patients in their own health care decisions by delivering timely information, resources and support specific to each patient's needs and preferences,” said Dr. William Ellert, chief medical officer of Arizona Care Network. “Through the use of evidence-based clinical practices and quality standards designed to drive the best possible outcomes for our patients, Arizona Care Network reduces duplication of effort and waste that contributes to escalating health care costs.”

Mark Hillard, CEO of Arizona Care Network, credits the network's effectiveness to this model of care. “The Arizona Care Network is physician-led and operates from standards and measures developed by individuals with deep clinical expertise and first-hand experience in patient care. Our physicians do what they do best—provide quality care to the individuals they serve—while being empowered with the resources and support needed to do so efficiently and effectively. Arizona Care Network physicians also have meaningful value-based incentives to encourage delivery of the most effective, highest quality, efficient care possible.”

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

About Arizona Care Network

Arizona Care Network (ACN) is a physician-led, physician-governed accountable care organization (ACO) and clinically integrated (CI) network that empowers providers to improve care, manage costs and deliver a better patient experience. Composed of more than 1,500 physicians, nine acute care hospitals as well as more than half of all recognized Patient Centered Medical Home models in Arizona, ACN is helping shape the future of health care through its progressive models of care delivery. Arizona Care Network was formed through collaboration between Dignity Health^TM and Abrazo Health, two market-leading organizations that have established relationships with strategic partners and premier health care providers throughout the state. For more information, see www.azcarenetwork.org.

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 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.