HealthOne Care System Physician Groups Join Aetna's Network
Aetna (NYSE: AET ) and HealthOne Care System, Inc., the largest independent physician group network in Massachusetts, announced jointly today a contract that will include all of HealthOne’s providers in Aetna’s network of health care providers effective January 1, 2007. This contract extends participation from the three HealthOne medical groups which currently contract with Aetna - Granite Medical, Southboro Medical Group and South Shore Medical Center – to add Harvard Vanguard Medical Associates and Dedham Medical Associates. This agreement marks the first time that all five of the HealthOne physician groups , serving approximately 600,000 patients in Massachusetts, are participating in the network of a national health insurer.
“The medical groups in HealthOne have a long and successful track record of working closely with employers in their local Massachusetts communities to provide medical care for their employees. As our patients are increasingly employed by businesses headquartered outside of Massachusetts, we sought to additionally align ourselves with a national health benefits company. Aetna shares our values and philosophy of using state-of-the-art wellness and disease management programs to coordinate treatment and ensure a high quality health care experience for our patients,” said Debra Geihsler, HealthOne Chief Executive Officer.
“The HealthOne groups are recognized leaders in providing cost-effective and high quality care, so we particularly appreciate Aetna’s leadership in sharing price and quality information with their members. We also appreciate their willingness to collaborate with physicians to measure outcomes based on empirical data, and then recognize and reward physicians for delivering top clinical performance,” she said.
“The fit between HealthOne and Aetna couldn’t be better,” said Troyen A. Brennan, MD,
Chief Medical Officer at Aetna. “HealthOne and Aetna are committed to the use of information technology to alert physicians to the need for an intervention. HealthOne already has one of the more robust information systems among physician groups across the country. By integrating medical claims data with pharmaceutical claims, physician reports, lab tests, and patient demographics, Aetna can assist in highlighting gaps in care, potentially dangerous drug interactions, and members’ lack of adherence to prescribed treatment plans.”
“Aetna’s medical management strategy takes a holistic view of each Aetna member rather than focusing on the 20 percent of members in poor health who represent the majority of medical costs. Our Aetna Health Connections program provides more than 2,000 Aetna-employed clinical professionals, including doctors, nurses, pharmacists, social workers, wellness counselors, nutritionists and weight loss therapists, to work with members and their physicians to help coordinate care, ensure that members understand and follow their doctor’s prescribed treatment plans, and embrace healthier lifestyles. We are excited about this opportunity to integrate our programs with those of these outstanding HealthOne physician groups to the benefit of patients in Massachusetts,” Brennan added.