Aetna Members Ask ‘Ann’: Where Have You Been All My Life?

Aetna’s virtual assistant ‘Ann’ hits more than 2 million chats, helping members find information about benefits, health care costs and quality, and more

HARTFORD, Conn., — Aetna (NYSE: AET) members are enjoying expanded service from “Ann,” the company’s virtual online assistant that provides members with personalized guidance to find health benefits information. As more consumers go online for health information, Ann is proving to be a welcome guide. In early June, Ann marked more than 2 million chats since her debut at Aetna last year.

“Ann is programmed to respond to thousands of possible questions and scenarios, and the technology behind her emulates the look and voice of a human. Aetna members that have used Ann share very positive comments about the interaction,” said Steve Schneider, Aetna’s head of Member Enrollment and Communication Solutions. “Based on the great response, Ann is now available across the entire Aetna secure member website to provide even more personalized assistance to our more than 12.5 million registered members.”

Ann is averaging 20,000 chats per day. Claim-related questions top the list, followed by assistance with log-in and registration.

In addition to Ann, Aetna members now have access to an enhanced version of the member payment estimator, which provides real-time cost estimates for in-network and out-of-network care for hundreds of commonly used, non-emergency health care services. Pricing is available for diagnostic tests and procedures, physician office services, and surgical procedures. Cost estimates are presented in “service bundles.” A service bundle includes the most likely group of services that will be performed with the procedure, including such services as anesthesia or blood work. This level of detail – a first for health plan members – gives members a more complete picture of the costs involved and helps people better plan for and budget for health care. Currently, members can access cost estimates for approximately 490 physician services in network and out of network, and 40 facility services in network.

About Aetna
Aetna is one of the nation’s leading diversified health care benefits companies, serving approximately 33.8 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 and health care management services for Medicaid plans. Our customers include employer groups, individuals, college students, part-time and hourly workers, health plans, governmental units, government-sponsored plans, labor groups and expatriates. For more information, see www.aetna.com.