This press release was provided by Aetna to the World Bank and is copied below.
Payerviewsm rankings rate Aetna first among national health plans; faster
payments, fewer denials and transparent information underscore company's
commitment to strengthened physician relations.
Hartford, Conn., May 29, 2008 ― Aetna's (NYSE: ΑET) continued efforts to
simplify business transactions for physicians helped place the company first
among national health plans in the 2008 PayerView Rankings. According to the
third annual rankings from athenahealth, Inc., an unaffiliated provider of
practice management and electronic medical record services to medical groups,
Aetna pays physicians faster and denies claims less often than other health
plans that were measured. Aetna also earned high scores for the percent of
claims that were resolved the first time they were submitted. When a claim is
denied for insufficient information, Aetna is one of the best at clearly
communicating with physicians to ensure the claim will close with only one
resubmission, according to PayerView.
"While we are pleased with this recognition of our progress, we are committed to
continually improving the experience physicians have when they do business with
Aetna," said Allen Karp, head of Aetna's Health Care Delivery. "Ongoing
communication with doctors and working with companies like athenahealth have
been critical to understanding how we can streamline and simplify our business
practices for the medical community. Ultimately, we hope that more efficient
interactions will enable doctors to spend more time doing what is most important
-- providing the best care to our members."
Aetna yesterday announced its Guiding Principles for Physician Relations, which
identify specific behaviors and business actions that govern Aetna in its
interactions with health care professionals. The Principles represent the
company's continued commitment to building and maintaining strong relationships
with the medical community.
The PayerView Rankings are based on athenahealth's claims data from more than
12,000 medical providers representing more than 30 million medical procedure
charges for 2007. The data are used to rank health insurers on measures of
financial and administrative performance, and medical policy complexity, such as
how many days it takes a health plan to pay the physician from the date the
charge is entered in athenahealth's system. The rankings also include the
percentage of claims that require additional work from the physician.
"Aetna is a great example of a leading national payer that understands the need
to address their business dealings with providers in order to improve the
quality of care while eliminating unnecessary costs found in administrating
health care today," said Jonathan Bush, chairman and CEO of athenahealth.
The essentials: Simplicity, quality service and information, transparency
Aetna has simplified business transactions by optimizing electronic transactions
to reduce claim denials and streamline administrative tasks. Continued
enhancements to service and to the quality and timeliness of information
provided to physicians have been priorities as well. The company's Provider
Service Centers are staffed with service professionals dedicated to addressing
the unique business needs of physicians and their staffs. Most recently, Aetna
began delivering Care Considerations electronically, and later this summer Aetna
members will be able to share a summary of their Aetna Personal Health Records
electronically with their physicians.
Aetna's secure provider website, via NaviNet®, gives physicians and their staffs
more information online than ever before. Physicians can check eligibility and
benefits in real time, submit or inquire about claims, review claim payment
policies, view and print explanation of payments online within 24 hours of
claims processing, obtain electronic remittance advices, and access Aetna's
education website.
The complete 2008 PayerView Rankings, evaluating 137 national, regional and
government payers, can be found at www.athenaPayerView.com.
ANK June 16, 2008 Â
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