Quality data provide members, employers with credible information
for their health care purchasing decisions
HARTFORD, Conn.--(Business Wire)--Aetna (NYSE:AET) announced today that it has received National
Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) Preferred Provider Organization
(PPO) Accreditation at a national level, which means the accreditation
will apply to the nearly 10 million Aetna members in PPO plans
throughout all 50 states. Aetna is the first national insurer to hold
NCQA accreditation for its PPO plans.
In addition, Aetna also received Full Accreditation for all 12
Medicare Advantage PPO plans that were submitted, which is the most of
any health insurer.
"We are extremely proud of this industry-leading acknowledgement
from the NCQA. External assessments by credible organizations such as
NCQA help employers and members appreciate that Aetna is delivering on
its commitment to provide members access to high-quality health care
services and programs," said Troyen Brennan, M.D., Aetna chief medical
officer.
During the review, Aetna presented information to NCQA about
multiple facets of its health plan operations such as:
-- Clinical policies, network accessibility and member
satisfaction.
-- Ways we help members through clinical programs, pharmacy
management, and support and referrals associated with
behavioral health issues.
-- Network credentialing process, and ongoing quality reviews to
help demonstrate that members are receiving high-quality,
evidence-based care.
-- Member rights, complaint and appeal handling, physician
directories, member and marketing materials, privacy and
confidentiality.
-- Aetna's full suite of online consumer health tools including
the company's Personal Health Record, health risk appraisals,
claim and pharmacy information, and other Web-based consumer
tools and functionality.
"By receiving Full Accreditation for their PPO products, Aetna has
met or exceeded NCQA standards and has excellent programs for quality
improvement and consumer protection," said NCQA President Margaret E.
O'Kane. "Aetna's accreditation reflects their accountability to their
members and their response to the demands of employers."
This accreditation is the latest endorsement that Aetna has
received from the NCQA for its products or programs. In 2005 and 2006,
the NCQA recognized Aetna for reducing cultural gaps in health care
access, and in 2006, Aetna was also the only insurer to receive the
prestigious "Recognizing Innovation in Multicultural Health Care
Award" from the NCQA. In addition, 21 of Aetna's commercial Health
Maintenance Organization/Point of Service (HMO/POS) plans have
Excellent Accreditation, NCQA's highest designation for HMO/POS plans.
About NCQA
NCQA is a private, non-profit organization dedicated to improving
health care quality. NCQA is the nation's leading developer of health
care evaluation tools including health plan accreditation, physician
recognition and organization certification. NCQA also is responsible
for the evolution of HEDIS(R), the most widely used set of health care
performance measures. NCQA is committed to providing health care
quality information through the Web, media and data licensing
agreements in order to help consumers, employers and others make more
informed health choices. For more information, visit www.ncqa.org.
About Aetna
Aetna is one of the nation's leading diversified health care
benefits companies, serving approximately 36.4 million people with
information and resources to help them make better informed decisions
about their health care. Aetna offers a broad range of traditional and
consumer-directed health insurance products and related services,
including medical, pharmacy, dental, behavioral health, group life and
disability plans, and medical management capabilities and health care
management services for Medicaid plans. Our customers include employer
groups, individuals, college students, part-time and hourly workers,
health plans, government-sponsored plans and expatriates.
www.aetna.com
Aetna
Karin Rush-Monroe, 215-775-2132
RushMonroeK@aetna.com
or
Ethan Slavin, 860-273-6095
slavine@aetna.com
Copyright Business Wire 2007
